To Save the Savior
by InnocentFighter
Summary: Formerly: To Protect the Protector! Ichigo gets attacked and taken hostage by a new set of foes. Soul Society still owed him from the winter war with Aizen. They send a team of shinigami to try to find him. These foes are powerful and ruthless stopping at nothing to get what they want but the problem is no one knows what they want. The story is better than it sounds!
1. Kurosaki Kidnapped!

**Title: To Save the Savior**

**EDIT: The names been changed because I may or may not write a sequel to this one, it may even be a trilogy. So I don't know if people will stick around with me for something like that. But the former title To Protect the Protector is what I'd use for the second fanfic! So as of right now let me know if you'd read a sequel! EDIT (2): I realized some errors. It should be Jigoku not Igoku, translation malfunction on my part. **

**Summary: Ichigo gets attacked and taken hostage by a new set of foes. Soul Society still owed him from the winter war with Aizen. They send a team of shinigami to try to find him. These foes are powerful and ruthless stopping at nothing to get what they want but the problem is no one knows what they want. While Ichigo is missing Captain Hitsugaya realizes something very important. The big question on everyone's mind is where's Ichigo? Also what do these people have against Soul Society? **

**Pairings: Ichigo/Toshiro(main) others unknown at the moment**

**Warnings: None in this chapter... Ichigo bashing, slight description of wounds **

**Hey! I'm not dead! Awesome right! I honestly wish you could pick more than two genres for the archives because I honestly don't know what the genres should be. Right anyway, I tried to get as many as the errors as I could, I'm not perfect so just point them out and I'll get to them. So I'd like a beta as well. Anyway this takes place after the events of the anime and it sort of replaces the Quincy arc. Anyway suggestions leave them in a review! Also I'm not really sure of the rating, it may go up in later chapters. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Er... Disclaimer and Chapter? I'll see you at the bottom!**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OF BLEACH OR BLEACH ITSELF! I OWN ONLY THE PLOT AND ANY NEW CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE! **

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Ichigo was finishing his patrols later than normal. He had been stopped by several low-level hollows, while not overly dangerous they were annoying. He landed on his window ledge and climbed into the window, his body lay across the bed, unmoving. Yet to someone merely peaking into his room it looked like he was fast asleep.

As he was just about to return to his body a large amount of reiatsu suddenly flared up. It was large enough, that even he could tell where it was coming from, though he couldn't tell anything about it. He was shunpoing through the city at a decent pace hoping to get there before the reiatsu suddenly disappeared.

Ichigo arrived at a park. He knew that he would be getting closer to the source of the reiatsu as it was getting stronger. He wondered if the owner of it was a friend or foe. He was hoping it was a friend.

As he reached the playground area he spotted at least five different figures. At first he was surprised as it seemed like it was just one big reiatsu, but now he could sense the five different pressures.

_I really need to work on my reiatsu detection. I'm sure Rukia would've known._ Ichigo thought glumly. He hadn't seen the petite shinigami in a long time. Ichigo shook his head trying to clear away the distraction.

He walked a little closer to the group, stopping only when he was at a point, should they attack, were he would be able to block said attack. He could tell one of them looked up, which one he couldn't tell who it was since the night was overcast. Someone spoke up, he assumed it was a female since he voice was high.

"Look! He came to us! Saved us a lot of trouble!" The female chirped.

Another voice cut across her. "Didn't ya here what the boss said? He's s'posed to be strong, took down that big bloke... er Kenpachi wasn't it?"

The voice that spoke was a male, he had a rough accent and a rougher way of speaking. Ichigo started to get ready for an attack, he was suspicious about the group.

"Oh? Doesn't he trust us?" The first female spoke again. Her tone mocking.

One of the figures stood up a disappeared. Seconds later it appeared in front of him. In the light that was extending out from the street light, while rather dim, he could make out the features of the person in front of him. She had pale blue hair and reddish-brown eyes. Her hair was shoulder length and fluttered in the wind, or from the speed she used to get over to him, Ichigo wasn't sure. He did recoil in shock of the sudden appearance of the girl.

"Jumpy much?" She said in a smirk that betrayed her innocent voice.

Ichigo found himself unable to respond. She took the silence as an affirmative and spoke once more. "This is what passes for captain class now?"

"Captain class? You mean you're...?" Ichigo trailed off.

"Shinigami?" The girl finished his question. "We were."  
"Were?" Ichigo asked, now that he had gotten over his initial shock, he saw the black of cloth of a shinigami uniform. There were variations to it, her hakama was cut short, so that it ended at her knees, and her sleeves ended just before her elbows. It was also tied in the back.

She let out a sigh. "Honestly you're pretty daft."

"Yuna! Be nice!" A male voice called from the group.

Yuna, as Ichigo just learned she was called, made a face. She looked at him up and down. "I can't see why we all have to be here. Listen you have two choices. One being you can come peacefully the other being we're going to force you."

Ichigo stared her up and down. He had seen the sword hanging at her hip. He had little doubt now that this group were shinigami. "What do you want?"

"I want a lot of things." Yuna shrugged. "But I assume you meant what we want here. That's easy our boss wants you."  
"Me?" Ichigo asked confused. He had thought that they were here to start something huge.

"Yes you. Boss said that he wanted you alive, and no unfixable damage done to you."

Ichigo gritted his teeth. He reached up to grab the handle of Zangetsu. Yuna saw this and frowned. "I guess we're doing this the hard way?"

Ichigo pulled Zangetsu from his place on his back._ I have no idea who these people are, but I have a bad feeling about them. _He thought.

"Oh? Already in shikai? Interesting, are you always in your first release?" Yuna asked him, she looked genuinely interested.

"What's it to you?" Ichigo asked her, he really didn't want to fight a girl. He had only drawn Zangetsu to scare her off, but it would seem that she wasn't going to budge.

Yuna shrugged. "Nothing really, I'll find out I suppose."

Ichigo was about to ask her what she meant when there was a sharp increase of her spiritual pressure. Her blade was only halfway out of her sheathe. He readied Zangetsu for her attack.

"To make this fight fair, I'll start in shikai as well." Yuna said fully drawing her sword. She ran the blade through the dirt. "Consume, Jigoku no Tsubasa!"

Her sword changed from a katana to a double-headed axe. The heads of the axe were solid black. The blades themselves curved up into sharp points and it was the same for the bottom half as well. Chains clattered apparently uselessly around the staff. Overall the axe did not look friendly.

"How do you like it?" Yuna said. The axe was slightly taller than her, but it would seem that the weight wasn't bothering her at all.

Ichigo remained quiet, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, it felt like his body was frozen. He couldn't move at all. His gaze was drawn to the axe. He saw it move towards him, he couldn't do anything to defend himself.

The axe's blade was an inch from cutting through his neck, like a knife through butter. He stared at the edge, watching the small amount of light reflecting off the dark surface.

"This is my zanpakuto's power. To send fear straight into your core, making you unable to move. It doesn't allow for much of a fight if I use the power." Yuna smiled darkly. "Then again, I like doing things the easy way."

Ichigo stared at the girl in front of him. Zangetsu was shaking slightly in his hands. He was trying to fight off the heaviness in his limbs. Then like a dam breaking he suddenly was able to leap backwards.

Yuna stared at him but not in shock, but with glee. "But a good fight is always welcome." She adjusted her grip on the staff. "Let's fight Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Seconds later the large axe was coming down on his head. Ichigo raised Zangetsu to block the attack, he managed it just in time.

"Good reflexes." Yuna swung the axe from the side this time. Ichigo leapt back and landed against something hard. He turned his head and saw a huge man grinning down at him.

Wasting no time Ichigo shunpoed off to the other side of the field. He landed and looked at the intruder to their fight. He was a well muscled man, matching Kenpachi in height, with a wider chest. His hair which was a dark brown and cropped short, he had three scars running down the right side of his head, and appeared to be missing an ear.

"Daichi! Why're you interfering?" Yuna screeched.

"We need to get this finish this as soon as possible. Those 12th division freaks are going to figure something is up with the way you've flared your reiatsu." Daichi spoke calmly.

Yuna glared at him. "I can handle it on my own!"

Ichigo watched the two with interest. He knew that his was his time to attack if any. He tightened his grip on Zangetsu and started running to where the other two stood bickering.

Yuna and Daichi both saw this. Yuna easily blocked his attacks and Daichi drew his katana, it easily sliced Ichigo, and left a deep wound running across his chest. Ichigo, leaping back, observed the damage.

_I won't get anywhere attacking them both. Their reflexes are to good to fight both at the same time. _

Ichigo's reiatsu flared up. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

The large wave of solid reiatsu made its way towards Yuna and Daichi at an impressive speed. Ichigo watched as his continued on for a little while and disappeared. As the dust settled back down to the ground he saw that his opponents had both vanished.

"Where'd they go?" Ichigo asked himself.

"Behind you!" Said a voice.

Ichigo turned around in time to see Yuna slice him with the axe. The axe's blade was so sharp that it cut through his side like no problem. Ichigo stumbled back before collapsing holding his wound trying to stop the bleeding. He coughed, it was wet and he spat out the liquid that had come up with the cough. It was metallic tasting and as he looked down he saw that it was a large amount of blood.

"Opps. Got carried away." Yuna said, she didn't sound the least bit apologetic.

"Idiot. There was no need for you to release you blade. He's weak enough for you to take even if he was in his shikai." Daichi scolded.

"But I'd heard that he's super strong!" Yuna complained.

"He'll only pose a threat to us when he's in his bankai and has his hollow mask."

Ichigo's eyes widened. How do they know about my hollow mask?_ Even though I can't use it anymore_. He thought glumly.

His arm that was helping to support his weight was trembling. It was slowly buckling, under the weight. When he first kneeled down it was straight, now it was the slightest bit bent and giving way fast.

"Enyo!" Daichi called out. "Get your ass over here."

Maybe it was just in his blood loss addled mind but he swore the moment that Daichi finished his sentence someone else appeared. Ichigo, his head was slightly lowered. He looked at the new set of feet. Noting numbly that there was a tattoo on the ankle of the new person. It was in the shape of the greek omega symbol. It had lines and swirls radiating out of it.

The skin the tattoo was inked on was tanner than the rest of her friends skin.. Ichigo raised his head slightly to see to whom the legs belonged to. It was certainly a very curvy body. His eyes moved up to the face. He could tell that she was foreign. Her skin was olive, her hair was black and straight which hung down to her waist, and she had dark eyes. It looked like there wasn't a single thing that could detract from her beauty. Her shihakusho was also tight, so you could see every curve of her body.

"What?" She asked Daichi. Ichigo could make out the slightest accent but he couldn't place it.

"Do your weird sword thing and make sure he doesn't die." Daichi ordered.

Enyo sent him a heated look, but with a flip of the hair she drew her sword, which was closer to that of a dagger instead of a full-sized katana. "Entrap, Suneeku Chixeen."

Her dagger shimmered brightly and in its place was a whip. It was gold in color and in closer inspection it wasn't the braided leather that made up most whips but instead it was made out of small chains.

Enyo cracked it off to the side. Ichigo supposed that it since it was a zanpakuto it would make a louder crack than a normal whip. Being so badly injured was taking its toll on his strength. When he first arrived that reiatsu that the five of them had, it wasn't that powerful but now with their pressure, with two of their number's swords released, he was having trouble staying conscious.

"Do it quick! His reiatsu is fading!" Yuna snapped. Crossing her arms and glaring at Enyo. For her part, Enyo shrugged and cracked her whip, it hit Ichigo's face. It made a cut on his cheek that slowly started to trickle blood.

The actual whip snaked around his neck, it coiled itself around him It felt like a snake was wrapping around his limbs. It was glowing brighter, and it felt like it was tying itself in knots around him. Enyo pulled the whip away and Ichigo was suddenly weighed down by something heavier, and it wasn't he body. He collapsed under the weight and heard clinking as he landed with a thud.

Looking down at his hands, the hand holding his wound was forcibly ripped away when the whip coiled around him, he saw that they were actually bound with chains.

_What the...?_ Ichigo thought.

"Kurosaki-kun!" A high-pitched voice called through the relative silence.

"Inoue-san! Stay back!" Another voice said loudly.

Ichigo felt panic blossom in his chest. His friends weren't stupid they would notice if he suddenly started to fight. They'd come check it out if they felt like something wrong as well, and if these people were powerful enough that he could sense them, then Orihime, Chad, and Ishida would no doubt recognize them and come check it out.

"How bothersome." Enyo sighed.

"They aren't a threat. Tie 'em up for now. Release 'em when we leave."

Enyo said nothing and cracked her whip once more. Ichigo couldn't see where, and his vision had started to go black from the pressure these guys were giving off. He wanted to break these chains and fight more to protect his friends but he couldn't.

He was too badly hurt and the chains were too strong. As far as he could tell the chains didn't cause any harm. They just tied you up.

Daichi bent down and hoisted Ichigo over his shoulder. "We're finished here."

The two girls nodded. Following after the bulky man. They headed back to the playground where the other two where waiting for him.

"Bloodier than I thought he'd be." Said a new voice. Ichigo couldn't guess as to whether the new speaker was male or female.

His last thought before his vision faded to black was _'Please let everyone stay safe.'_

**††††††† **

Ishida watched as the five figures disappeared into a type of portal that he had never seen before. It didn't match the garganta that the hollows used to goto Hueco Mundo, nor was it the senkaimon that shinigami use. It was a red-violet portal in the shape of simple door.

To him it looked like one of them looked back. He gritted his teeth. He couldn't make heads nor tails of the situation. The three that he saw were dressed in shinigami uniforms. But they were attacking Kurosaki.

When all but one of the group were in the doorway the chains that had wrapped themselves around him slackened and fell to the ground where they slowly faded out of existence.

"This is bad." He mumbled as he rubbed the red spots on his arms.

Chad nodded and Orihime looked like she was about to cry. Ishida looked around for any sign of a clue that they could use. There wasn't anything. Not even a trace of the reiatsu that belonged to the mystery people.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime sobbed. "We have to save him!"

Ishida sighed. He looked over at the two that came with him. Surprisingly it was Chad that spoke. "We need to talk to Urahara-san."

"Let's go now. The sooner we know more the better." Ishida said. Holding out a hand for Orihime to grab onto to help herself up. "I don't like this."

Orihime grabbed the outreached hand and helped herself stand up. She wiped at her eyes with her other hand. She released Ishida's hand. She attempted to make a determined face, she failed miserably but the others didn't say anything.

The three teenagers made their way to Urahara's shop. They knocked on the door and were greeted by the man himself, half his face covered by the fan he always carried with him.

"What a pleasure it is to get visitors so late at night!" Urahara's voice had its usual cheeriness.

"Sorry for disturbing you." Orihime bowed.

"No its fine. I was getting lonely anyway. Ichigo-san hasn't showed up for a while."

Urahara let the group inside and led them to the room with the round table. The teens were silent, making Urahara wonder what happened. Of course he had sensed Ichigo's reiatsu start to weaken, then it had faded to almost non-existence. He had noticed five other unfamiliar spiritual pressures in the area. A few of them had flared up just as Ichigo's was fading. He had no doubt that they were connected he just wasn't sure how.

They all sat down. Tessai had prepared tea and brought it in. He looked at Urahara, who motioned for Tessai to leave the room for the time being. It was a few minutes longer before Urahara broke the silence.

"What happened?"

The three teens looked up at him then away. Urahara sighed. "Okay, let's try this a different way. Where's Ichigo-san?"

The teenagers shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Urahara was normally a patient man, which he should be thankful for. He'd wait until they were willing to tell them, but it he would help the process along.

"I know his reiatsu was nearly gone, then it vanished. I also know there were five different signatures in the area that Ichigo's pressure vanished in. Two out of the five suddenly flared up and that's when there was a decrease in Ichigo's reiatsu." Urahara stated. "Now I need you to fill in the blanks."

Ishida set his tea down and looked at the ex-captain. "We don't know much more. As you said there were five of them, but we only saw three. The three that we saw were dressed in shinigami uniforms, and I assume they had zanpakutos, they were carrying weapons. We weren't there to see if they were released or not."

Urahara nodded for Ishida to continue. "Ichigo was severely wounded and bound by chains."

"Chains?" Urahara asked.

"Yes. But they weren't hell chains." Ishida answered the unspoken question. "Anyway, one of them had a golden whip. She cracked it at us and were were chained up similar to Ichigo. Another one of the three we saw had a doubled headed war axe, it had a strange power, it petrified you for a lack of a better word. It was dripping blood. The third we saw, his katana was dripping blood."

Urahara nodded. "The weapons don't sound familiar, and it goes without saying that Ichigo was attacked by them. But why and who are they?"

Orihime spoke up. "They also took Kurosaki-kun into this weird doorway. It was a pretty color but I couldn't tell you much more than that."

"This does not bode well for anyone. This has to be the start of something bigger." Urahara sighed. "The 12th division noticed an anomaly in Hueco Mundo. Its possible that they're connected."

"Wait how'd you know about something the 12th division discovered?" Ishida asked wearily.

Urahara laughed. "Oh! I hacked into their system."

The three teenagers looked at Urahara with apprehension. Orihime started to cry once more. Chat tried to comfort her by laying a large hand on her back. Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Regardless..." Someone new spoke up. A black cat jumped onto the table. " Soul Society needs to be informed."

"Yoruichi is absolutely correct." Urahara nodded. "But the question is how are we going to get their attention?"

The cat on the table stood up as tall as it could go. "Leave that to me. I just need you to get me to Soul Society."

Urahara nodded. Standing up, he motioned to be followed. His clogs clicking against the floor as he went. Yoruichi leapt off of the table and followed after the candy store owner. The teens each stood up and went after the adults.

They reached the underground trained area. Urahara went to work getting ready to open a senkaimon. Yoruichi had shifted into her human self and was finishing getting dressed.

A few minutes later and there was a group sending the flash-goddess off. She nodded to Urahara. With a wave to the teenagers she leapt through the senkaimon. Urahara turned to Ichigo's friends.

"Now, how about we try and figure out who those mysterious shinigami are." With a clap of his hand he started to head to the ladder.

Orihime looked between Chad and Ishida before following after the ex-captain. Chad followed soon after her. Ishida remained in his spot, he watched the senkaimon close and slowly start to disappear. He pushed his glasses up once more. _Kurosaki, what have you gotten yourself into. _

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**Thus we've reached the end of our Chapter 1 journey together. Leave your thoughts below, don't be shy! I don't care if its even a "!" just let me know what you thought authors live off of feedback!**

**Anywho~ Suggestions on what should happen? Send them to on PM or just even leave them below, I read every review. **

**What else do I want to say? Can't think of anything. Off to write Chapter 2! Later! ~IF**


	2. The Search Begins

**Pairings: No new ones arrive... still mainly Toshiro and Ichigo **

**Warnings: Ehehehe, nothing worth warning about happens**

**Second chapter here! Thanks to ninjapanda for reviewing. I hope that the second chapter is good/better than the first. Its pretty awesome to actually update on time! Well I've rambled on enough for the moment. I'll give you this disclaimer and then you can read! See you at the bottom!  
DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN BLEACH OR BLEACH CHARACTERS I OWNLY OWN THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE NOW.**

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Yoruichi ran through the Dangai at fast pace. Easily keeping ahead of the cleaner. Soon enough she was reaching the point she was suppose to leave from. There was a small square of light a few meters ahead of her. She leapt through it once she was close enough.

She appeared a good distance from the ground. She shunpoed to the nearest building landing gracefully. "Alright. Now first thing first, I need to learn when the next captain meeting is."

Yoruichi figured that she could of course go to the head captain and have him call for a meeting but that would take a large amount of time, unless of course there wasn't going to be a meeting for a while. She shupoed to the first division barracks.

She headed towards the head-captains office. As she neared there she saw that the meeting hall doors were closed. She moved off to the doors. Inside she heard a low muttering.

"Oh?" Yoruichi hummed. "Am I that lucky?"

She quickly crossed to the upper levels of the first division. She found the area where she could peer into the room and see if there was a meeting taking place without being detected. She had found this awhile back, when she used to be captain of the 2nd.

Inside the ten remaining captains stood in their designated spots. There were still gaps in between where the traitorous captains used to stand and where the captains stood. The Head Captain was rambling about the overall running of Seireitei. Several of the captains wore serious expression, the other captains just looked bored or distracted.

They were nearing the end of the meeting and the captains could tell that they were. As there was more stirring around the group. Just as the Head Captain was about bang his staff down Yoruichi appeared in the meeting hall.

A murmur of surprise ran through the crowd at the Flash-Goddess's sudden, and seemingly random, appearance. The Head-Captain even opened his eyes in a mild surprise.

"Yoruichi Shihoin." The Head Captain mumbled.

"Head Captain." Yoruichi inclined her head to Yamamoto.

"What are you doing here, Yoruichi?" Captain Kyoraku asked politely.

"I come with news from the world of the living." She stated plainly.

"We get that back at the division. Nothing you need to report." Captain Kurotsuchi grumbled.

"Eh? But how would you get reports if your here?" Yoruichi inclined her head. "Besides would you even tell them of your discovery or write it off as not major?"

Seeming to not here the question the 12th division captain remained quiet. Yoruichi huffed in satisfaction.

"What news do you bring?" Head Captain Yamamoto asked the former second division captain.

"As of about two hours ago, five strange spiritual pressures appeared in Karakura town. The Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki engaged the owners of the pressure. As of an hour ago Ichigo Kurosaki's reiatsu disappeared completely."

There was a ripple of noise between the captains. As well as slightly surprised looks, and maybe a concerned one from Captain Ukitake.

"Disappeared?" The Fourth Division Captain asked.

Yoruichi nodded. "Yes. It was gradually weakening but it suddenly vanished. From what Ichigo's friends described, it would seem that a band of renegade shinigami are behind this. He was also badly hurt, he must've been barely conscious or unconscious when his friends arrived."

"You said that Kurosaki's reiatsu disappeared. Is it safe to assume that he perished?" The small Captain of the Tenth asked.

"No. Ichigo's friends seem to claim that while badly injured he was still alive." Yoruichi was facing the prodigy. "But then by that report it doesn't mean that he's alive either."

There was another ripple of noise. It seemed that most of the captains were in a sound mind that it would be a shame if the substitute perished. Yamamoto banged his staff down to signal for quiet.

"Why do Kurosaki's friends think that it was in fact a group shinigami?" Yamamoto addressed Yoruichi.

The female in question cleared her throat. "They were wearing clothes that cannot by called anything but the shinigami uniforms. There is also a very large possibility they were wielding zanpakutos. But they aren't any that I'm familiar with."

The captains were silent for this fact. Yoruichi smiled to herself. She was actually doing a favor to Kisuke. "Captain Kurostuchi, you look like you have something to say?"

The captain in question sent the Flash Goddess a glare. The other captains turned to look at him as well.

Kurostuchi gave what seemed like an annoyed sigh. "My division recently stumbled across a anomaly in Hueco Mundo. After scanning it, it didn't appear dangerous. My squad is studying it further to determine what it is exactly."

The rest of the captains shared a look but didn't seem like they were that surprised. Yoruichi crossed her arms. _Of course they could be connected or maybe its a coincidence. Hopefully they'll help us find Ichigo. _

Yamamoto banged his staff. "Captain Kurostuchi, I want you reporting anything you know about the anomaly. Captain Hitsugaya take yourself and a few other high ranked shinigami and go with Yoruichi to the world of the living and see what you can find there."

There were nods from the two captains who received orders. "Meeting adjourned. Yoruichi, stay here for a moment."

The captains slowly filed out. Soon the only two left in the room were the Head Captain and Yoruichi herself.

"Head Captain?"

"I am only doing this because this could threaten the Soul Society, and we owe Kurosaki that much."

"Sir? If I may ask a question?" Yoruichi asked a nervous waver in her voice. There was a nod of confirmation from the old man. "Why Captain Hitsugaya?"

"I have a feeling it'd be better for him to do something than just sit around waiting for any form of news. Its bad for morale when the Captain is looking like he's about to bite off the head of whoever approaches him."

Yoruichi nodded. Satisfied with the answer. Yamamoto seemed not have anything more to say so the Head of the Shuhoin clan turned to leave. She made it to the door and passed through without interruption.

As she was exiting the meeting room she was stopped by the all too icy Captain of the Tenth. "Captain."

Toshiro seemed to lose what he was about to say, his mouth opening and closing for a few seconds before he uttered out a "We're leaving first thing tomorrow."

With that the prodigy turned and left. After all he had to get a small squad ready. It wasn't a question on who he was going to bring but if their captains would allow them to go.

He steeled himself as he shunpoed to the Eleventh Division. As he expected Captain Zaraki was sitting out on the porch watching a few of his squad members duel one another before turning in.

His third and fifth seat were sitting next to him, the former in the middle of being attacked by the excitable eleventh squad Vice-Captain. The fifth seat seemed to be watching with amusement.

The four of them noticed his approach at the same time. "Hey its Captain Whitey!" The pink haired girl chirped. Toshiro briefly wonder when she had gotten the cross bone hair clips. Though he was quickly annoyed as he realized that he had been called that annoying nickname she gave him.

"Wha' brings ya here?" Captain Zaraki asked him.

Ikkaku took advantage of the fact that his Vice-Captain was no longer attacking him. He wiped off the drool that coated his bald head while Yumichika gently scolded Yachiru about biting people's heads.

"Captain Zaraki I have a request." The white haired boy stated.

Zaraki snorted. "Ya wan' ta borrow a few of my squad members righ'?"

Torshiro looked slightly abashed and was about to speak when Zaraki cut him off. "Ya probably want Ikkaku and Yumichika."

Toshiro was honestly surprised that the bulky captain knew what he was going to ask before he did. Though he suspected that it was because they were searching of Kurosaki that he'd get those most familiar with the teen. Toshiro simply nodded.

"Fine by me." Zaraki stated. "Ask 'em if they want to go."  
Just as Toshiro was about to ask he was cut off once more. This time by the loud third seat. "Hell yeah I'm going! What about you, Yumi?"

Yumichika looked at the bald man and laughed slightly. "Was there a doubt that I wouldn't go?"

"I didn't think you'd say no I was just being polite and not assuming things like you told me to!"

"Sometime you can assume things. Especially if it involves going to the World of the Living. Someone has to make sure you stay on target."

Ikkaku was about to retort, and Toshiro sighed. He hadn't even told them the mission yet. That was the eleventh for you act first and never think. "We leave first thing tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

The two eleventh members nodded. Toshiro said his farewells as he left the eleventh division. He sighed, he turned towards the thirteenth division. Two down, two to go. After a fairly short walk he made it to the thirteenths barracks.

Captain Ukitake was walking around his garden and his faithful Vice-Captain was walking behind him. They appeared to be in the middle of a conversation. Toshiro approached slowly not wanting to disturb them.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Captain Ukitake smiled pleasantly.

The raven haired shinigami inclined his head towards the icy captain. Since it appeared that Rukia wasn't trying to strangle anyone at the moment it would seem that she hadn't heard the news yet.

Toshiro silently thanked the sickly captain. Otherwise he'd have hell to pay from the small shinigami if he didn't take her.

"Captain Ukitake. I would like to request to borrow Vice Captain Kuchiki for my mission in the real world." Toshiro politely requested.

Ukitake turned to face his Vice Captain. "Well do you want to go?"

Rukia looked startled at being addressed by her captain so suddenly. "Captain Hitsugaya where would we be in the human world?"

"Karakura Town." The young captain answered without hesitation.

Rukia looked happy at that fact. "May I?"

Ukitake smiled. "I asked you if you wanted to go. So if you do then you have my permission. Captain Hitsugaya, you may borrow my Vice-Captain."

Toshiro nodded. The older shinigami left the two of them alone. Rukia raised a questioning eyebrow at him.  
"You'll get the mission details tomorrow." Toshiro stated.

"Figured. Who else it going?" She crossed her arms.

"Madarame-san and Ayasegawa-san. Hopefully Captain Kuchiki will allow me to borrow Vice-Captain Abarai. Of course my Vice-Captain will be joining us as well."

Rukia nodded. Then pursed her lips. "Must be a tough mission for so many high ranking seats."

"You have no idea." Toshiro sighed.

Rukia eyed him trying to get any detail out of him. But the frosty captain wasn't giving anything away. Having no more questions. She turned to leave. "Brother will let you have Renji. If its in Karakura town, Renji will get to go because he knows the area. Plus I'm going."

Toshiro nodded. "Captain Kuchiki also knows the mission and heard the report."

Rukia shot him a confused look but said nothing. She returned into the thirteenth's barracks. Toshiro was left alone. He groaned. _How the hell did you get in this situation Kurosaki? _

The white haired captain figured he'd walk to the sixth's barracks. Not wanting to surprise the haughty nobleman. Toshiro thought back to the captain's meeting. When Yoruichi had said that Ichigo's reiatsu disappeared he felt his chest constrict in panic and he had to ask if Kurosaki was dead. He felt hope when she said that he wasn't dead but they didn't know if he was alive.

How strong were these people if they could bring Kurosaki to his knees so quickly and by that amount. He was nearing the sixth division's barracks where he could feel Vice-Captain Abarai's reiatsu surge. _He must be practicing. _

He walked in to the grounds to see that he was correct. Abarai was in shikai and panting. The head of the Kuchiki clan was watching his Vice-Captain with little interest. He turned his head when he felt the icy reiatsu of the tenth's captain.

"Captain Kuchiki-" Toshiro was cut off.

"I already assumed that you'd be asking." He turned to where his Vice-Captain was destroying targets. "Vice Captain Abarai come here."

The red-haired shinigami quickly strode over to him as he sheathed his sword.

"Yes Captain?" Renji asked once he was standing a few feet from the two captains.

"You'll be accompanying Captain Hitsugaya on a mission." The nobleman said.

"Er... Okay." Renji said dumbfounded. "Captain Hitsugaya?"

"We leave first thing tomorrow. You'll receive your mission details then."

Renji blinked. "Sure."

Toshiro turned and walked away. Now all he had to do was order his slacker of a Vice-Captain to come along with him. Not that she wouldn't if he didn't order her, he still needed to get some respect back after being cut off so many times in the space of an hour.

As he walked through the Tenth's gates he noticed that the atmosphere was more lax that it was when had left this morning. With a certain knowing he headed towards the office he shared with his Vice-Captain.

Waking into the office he felt a vein pop as he saw how disorganized it was. "MATSUMOTO!"

There was a rustling over by the couch and his Vice-Captain popped up from behind it. "Captain, why're you yelling?"

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know that's why I asked you." She said tiredly.

"You're drunk." Matsumoto was about to deny it when Toshiro cut her off. "We have a mission. Be ready early tomorrow. We're going to the world of the living."

"Why?" Matsumoto asked. She sensed that there was something wrong with her Captain when he walked in so she thought that she'd try to improve his mood but that plan failed miserably.

Toshiro debated with himself. He guessed that telling her wouldn't be a problem. He didn't tell the others because he didn't want the eleventh squad members to be the only ones not to know and he figured that it would motivate them once they were in the world of the living instead of stewing over it all night. Plus he wasn't sure of all the detail himself so he was going to explain the best he could. It ultimately landed on Yoruichi and Urahara-san to tell them what really happened. Powers of the "shinigami" and other details that Yoruichi didn't say during the meeting.

Still, telling his Vice-Captain was his job, and she wouldn't act rashly at the news. "Kurosaki is missing."

"Eh? No way!" The strawberry blonde's eyes widened.

"Yes. He was kidnapped by some group that look like shinigami and have weapons like our zanpakuto. They may be renegades but at the moment we aren't sure."  
"What was Ichigo-kun's condition last time he was seen?" Matsumoto asked, her eyes worried. She had grown fond of the boy during her time staying in the World of the Living, and also he avenged Gin's death so he had grown on her.

"According to Ichigo's friends. Bad." Toshiro sat down behind his desk. "They said he was barely conscious or already unconscious. They couldn't tell what type of wounds he had. Yoruichi said that before his reiatsu vanished it was nearly gone."

"It vanished?"

"Because he was no longer in his range. That's what we're assuming. We're treating it as he's alive, but going in with the possibility that he will be found dead." Toshiro said. It pained him to think that Ichigo was dead.

He couldn't imagine those intense brown eyes no longer looking at him. Or how they looked when he was focused or fighting. Toshiro would miss the satisfaction of being able to pick Kurosaki out of crowd because of his hair.

Toshiro shook his head. He needed to not think those things. They were weird for an acquaintance, or possibly friend he wasn't sure, to think anyhow.

Matsumoto noticed this and stood up. She walked over to her Captain, she laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "Don't worry we'll do everything we can to find him." _'And to bring him back alive. _Went unspoken.

"I know you will, plus we have the other members of the team to help." Toshiro said.

"Others?"

"Madarame-san, Ayasegawa-san. Vice-Captains Kuchiki and Abarai."

Rangiku smiled. There was no doubt about the level of loyalty the team had. Rukia and Renji were close friends of Ichigo. Ikkaku and Yumichika had this weird thing with the orange-haired team, respect she supposed, though it could be because their captain likes to use Ichigo as a energy release when he needs a good fight.

_The next morning._

Toshiro and Rangiku stood side by side waiting for the members of their team to show up. As expected Rukia was the first one to show up. She grumbled something about "incompetent fools who needed to learn how to tell time."

Renji showed up next. Grinning when he saw that Rukia was in the team as well. After waiting thirty more minutes. To which the prodigy's mood got steadily worse the last two members showed up.

Ikkaku and Yumichika walked up to the rest of the group. Ikkaku was still rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "Good morning Captain Hitsugaya." Yumichika greeted cheerfully.

It was a wonder how the fifth seat of the eleventh squad could always be in such a good mood in the morning. Even when most of the eleventh had hangovers or were waking up sore. It was a mystery but everyone accepted in as Yumichika being Yumichika.

"So what's the mission?" Rukia's arms were crossed.

"We're waiting for Yoruichi Shihoin." Toshiro stated.

The Flash Goddess appeared just as her name was spoken. "I'm here."

Toshiro nodded and the rest of the group gave various greetings. The purple haired woman spoke after the group quieted down. "You'll know when we get to Urahara's shop. I don't know that much myself, plus there might be new developments since last night."

The group was silent. Wondering what was going on exactly. But as they waited for the gate to open Yoruichi spoke once more. "Though the one thing that I know for certain is Ichigo is in trouble, and we're going to rescue him."

There was a dead silence. You could here the rest of the divisions start to get up for the day. The sounds of daily life continued but for the small group it seemed that time stopped.

"Ichigo is in trouble?" Rukia asked, to shocked to say much else.

"Very big trouble by the looks of it. It could be worse for us."

"How?" Renji asked.

"As I said Urahara knows more than either me or Captain Hitsugaya." Yoruichi said. "But Ichigo was attacked. From what his friends said, in critical condition, and then he was kidnapped."

Another silence overtook the group. Before Ikkaku spoke up. "What did they sneak up on him and surprise him? There's no way in hell that he would go down otherwise."

"No, they attacked him head on." Yoruichi answered. "I think Ishida said later that there were maybe two wounds on Ichigo."

"Two?" Yumichika cried. "He went down in two hits?"

The senkaimon doors opened up. The group of shinigami remained still. The impact of what they had just learned was still being absorbed. _Only two hits? _Was the thought of the majority of the group.

"Come on! Its our turn to save Ichigo!" It was Renji who spoke up. He had a determined glint in his eyes. The others soon mirrored the look.

Yoruichi nodded in approval and Toshiro allowed himself a smile that was barely there. _Its our turn Kurosaki. _This reminded him of the time that all of the captain that were able to fight stood in front of the substitute in order to make sure he wouldn't see Aizen's sword, so that they would have a fighting chance.

The group leapt into the Dangai. While they didn't have to run because they had hell butterflies they didn't want to waste anymore time. They reached the point where they were supposed to get out.

The seven of them soon found themselves in Urahara's underground training facility. Urahara was standing there. At first they thought it was to greet them and try to distract them from their goal.

Instead the Urahara in front of them was very grim looking. There was no trace of any of his usual cheeriness. Looking past him they saw the equally grim faces of Ishida, Chad, and Tessai, they also saw Orihime looking like she was about to cry, again by the redness of her eyes.

"Wha-?" Toshiro began.

"We have very bad news." Urahara simply said.

* * *

**Boom! Cliffy! Sorry, I know a lot of people don't like ciffhangers. Oh well. As always leave your review below with you thoughts, it doesn't have to be deep and meaningful. Suggestions? Like last time leave them in the reviews or PM! Now to Chapter 3! Later! ~IF**


	3. Danger, Despair, and a Snowstorm?

**Warnings: Slightly graphic descriptions of injuries. They'll get worse as the story progresses. **

**Welcome to the third installment of Protecting the Protector! I'm glad to see you again! I've clearly seen you before if you've read two other chapters! Thanks to Guest, Nishikil, ninjapanda, AngryHitsu, Yashiru Kusajishi for reviewing. I love it when you guys review. I also love all of your names. So Disclaimer then chapter? You guessed it! See you at the bottom. **

* * *

The group of shinigami were lead to the usual meeting area, the room with the round table. There was tea already sitting out. The silence that had taken over the usually loud and boisterous group, was heavy with worry.

They sat around, for perhaps ten minutes and there was not a sound uttered in that time. Soon Urahara let out a long sigh. It startled several people out of their reprieves. Seven pairs of eye turned to focus on the ex-captain.

Ichigo's three friends kept their eyes downcast. Urahara spoke. "Based on what Ishida, Chad, and Orihime said I went into the archives that I have available to me and looked for shinigami that matched the descriptions with those weapons."

"And?" Toshiro prompted.

"The wasn't anything on them. But I did stumble upon an article from long ago talking about a rebel shinigami that had a sword that didn't have powers associated with shinigami and he was using them for purposes that weren't exactly smiled upon."

There was a stirring among the group, they weren't sure where they were going. "It would appear that this shinigami knew that their zanpakuto didn't have a power that would be considered acceptable so it remained a secret until a shinigami revealed it to one of the higher ups at the time."

"So why did they go after Ichigo?" Renji asked Urahara.

Urahara paused before he answered. "I don't know. However the zanpakuto's power was deadly, and it its wielder had long since fallen from the light."

The group nodded solemnly, before they fell into another awkward silence Toshiro spoke up. "We should get started investigating. It won't do just going off speculations."

Urahara nodded. "I'll have Ishida lead you to where Ichigo was attacked."

The young Quincy looked surprised that he would be asked to lead them being the least aquatinted with the shinigami. He regain his composure and stood up. "Come on." He said.

The group stood up and said their farewells. Yoruichi stayed behind, her job was finished. She looked and Urahara. Her arms crossed. "You didn't tell them everything."

"Oh? Could you tell?" Urahara asked slowly regaining his cheerful composure.

"I can always tell when you're holding something back. You always have an air about you when you do that and you hesitated."

"I did. But that's because I don't want to worry them with things that may not come to pass. Its more of a guess than anything."

Yoruichi nodded. She knew that Urahara had a fondness for the young orange-haired teen, so it made sense that he was worried about the boy. She watched the retreating backs of the six shinigami.

"You think they'll find something?" Yoruichi spoke long after the small group had left.

"I hope so." Urahara said seriously.

**†††††††**

Ichigo slowly came into consciousness. Groaning as he felt pain corse through his body. The worse areas that he was able to pin point was across his chest and on his side. After getting over the initial shock of the overwhelming pain he realized that he was laying on something smooth, hard, and cold.

He also felt a chill run through the top half of his body. Cracking open one of his eyes he saw that he was in a poorly lit room, poorly lit cell, he amended once he saw that there was only one door, and that it looked to be solid steel. There was a glow radiating outside the door.

Glancing around he saw no possible ways to escape. He sighed but winced as he caused pain to ripple through his chest. He attempted to push himself up, grunting with the effort and discomfort as his injuries were tugged on.

The chill was waining as he began to move, yet it was still there. Ichigo decided that the chill was unnatural. He looked down at his chest noticing that he was given more restricted movement than he would have with having only a gash across his chest.

To his surprise someone had taken the time to bind his wounds. Judging by how tight the bandages were, someone knew what they were doing. Ichigo could tell that these were older bandages as the red that welled up to the surface as it had turned the russet color of dried blood.

From somewhere in hall he could here a muffled voice. "I here groaning. Enyo go see if he's awake."

There was the soft clicking as someone walked down the hallway. It was echoing badly so he couldn't judge the distance they were from the door. He saw the eye hatch slide open and the it was followed by the sound of a bolt being slid out of its place.

The door was shoved open it scraping across the floor. Ichigo grimaced at the sound, it was worse than nails on a chalk board and he was pretty sure he saw a spark or two.

Standing in the door way was a recognizable figure. It was certainly the Enyo he remembered, she looked more casual but more done up at the same time. He hair was braided into a circlet and she was wearing what looked to be a dress you would see in paintings of the greek goddesses.

The light was shadowing her face so he couldn't read her expression but he could guess it in her words. "You're awake already? A normal shinigami would be out for at least another day or two."

Ichigo looked up at her, trying to muster all the venom in his voice he could. "Sorry to disappoint."

Enyo took a step closer. "On the contrary, you waking up so soon allows us to precede with our plans sooner."

The Grecian girl stepped back out of the room. " Well he is awake."

"Let's take him to the king." There really was a lot of echoing in the hallway, it was annoying Ichigo decided.

Enyo waved her hands and two humanoid figures appeared. They had no distinct features, and were little more than simple shadows. They hefted him up, ignoring the fact that he was severely wounded.

Between the two shadow people Ichigo was dragged unceremoniously to an unknown destination. He passed the owner of the second voice. He should've guessed that it was Daichi. Daichi, grinned evilly at him.

Enyo walked behind him, Daichi fell in step with her. The effort from keeping his head up was tiring Ichigo out. _I must be hurt worse than I originally thought. _The shadow's were oblivious to his waining consciousness. They dragged him along like a sack of potatoes. Ichigo wondered how far they were from this "King" guy. Thinking back on it Daichi and Yuna had both said something about the boss but Enyo was talking about the king. Were they the same person?

**†††††††**

Ichigo wondered if at some point he blacked out, because at the moment he was shoved to the ground in a position that was resembling a bow. The shadow people dissipated.

He lifted his head the tiniest of a fraction. He was in a grand room. The ceilings were arched and the black stone which had coated many of the wall was continued through here. There was a large window directly in front of him. The light that was shining through the panes was bright. It illuminated the entirety of the room.

Squinting his eye Ichigo could make out something disrupting the light. It was large and it resembled a throne. Something was hanging off to the side that looked like legs? There wasn't much else he could do aside from continue to look at the shadowed mass. At some point he had been chained. He was pretty sure it came from Enyo's zanpakuto.

The legs moved and disappeared and the next thing he new a slim figure had manifested itself next to it.  
"So this is the Kurosaki boy?" The slim figure asked. The authority and power behind the voice rivaled the Head Captain's.

"Yes, milord." Daichi answered with a clumsy bow, it was more of a medieval sweeping bow than the traditional ones that the Japanese preformed.

"He's younger than I would've guess." The figure whirled, so now it was facing them instead of listing from the side. "Of course it makes it easier for us to retrieve our prize."

The figure practically glided towards them. Ichigo had little doubt now that this was in fact the leader that these people were following. As it approached Ichigo could start to see that the form was more male that female.

"Close the windows. I want him to get a good look at me." The order was complete with in a heartbeat of the sentence being completed.

With the windows closed the room was lit by only the light trickling through the cracks in the blinds and torches that at some point had been lit. Ichigo blinked several times trying to readjust his eyes to the lack of light. Once his eyes were semi adjusted he could make out the figure now.

It was a very slim man. His skin was pale, almost white. His black hair was barely touching his shoulders. The torches made his red eyes burn even more fiercely. His lips were curled back to reveal a pointed grin.

"How nice it is to finally meet you." The man bent down, he was scarcely an inch away.

Ichigo tried to lean away from the man. He smelled to sweet for it to be natural but he found that he was unable to move.

"I suppose it wouldn't be odd for you to be completely untrusting of us. I mean my subordinates nearly killed you, and I assume didn't give you any explanation." The man sighed.

The subordinates in question seemed to shrink back in shock. The two that Ichigo hadn't seen that night, remained standing tall, as they had complacent smile on their faces. Now that there was light he got a better look at the two others that were in the park. With a strangled noise it dawned on Ichigo that he had no idea how much time had past between them meeting and him waking up.

The king looked at him amused. Thinking that he was attempting so say something. Ichigo tried to glare diffidently at the self-serving smirk on the guy's face. He struggled against the invisible bonds.

The man sent out a wave of reiatsu that nearly suffocated Ichigo in his weakened state. "We can't have you struggling now can we."

Ichigo felt the coldness return and start to wrap around his heart. He was dreading what these guys would do to him. "Listen up. I'll tell you about us. Since you're a guest of ours a little information can't hurt."

"As you've probably already guessed we are shinigami, well were." He chuckled. "Powerful ones at that. All of us were seated officers in our squad before some circumstance forced us out."

The man straightened and was pacing in front of Ichigo. "Enyo's was that she joined the Shadow Society, a group dealing with the shadow's of peoples former selves. Yamamoto wasn't to pleased with that and threatened to lock her up for insubordination. Yuna struck up a deal with demons. I'm sure you've seen her shikai. It was changed after she dealt with them she's got demon's speed and strength. She left Soul Society before they could find out what she did. Daichi's is simple he left because they betrayed him."

The man took a breath. "The other two and I have similar reasons of leaving. We were pressured into quitting. Our zanpakuto weren't good! So one has the ability to use cero! Another when it cuts you, you bleed until he's killed or you are, the cuts can't be healed. Mine? Well Aizen's little Zanpakuto, the hypnosis type? Its nothing more than a party trick compared to mine."

Ichigo was a little more than startled, though he wasn't showing it. Whoever these guys were, they weren't like anyone he's face before. There was just something about them. Aizen was strong. But with Aizen there was something that was still somewhat _human _ about him, he was acting out because he believed he was destined for greatness. With this bunch all he got was that they were doing this because they wanted to.

"Are you wondering what my power is?" The man asked him. Ichigo wanted to yell at him to let him go, and fight him like a man not a coward but of course it felt like his voice was stuck in his throat.

"Its simple really." The king drew his sword. "That fool's sword had a weakness, all you had to do was touch it and you were immune. I saw what happened and heard Gin talk about it. Mine is an easy thing to figure out but its a pain to try and break, literally."

The sword flashed into a slightly bigger blade, it was reflective and alluring. "You see mine gives me control over your entire body, and if I want, your thoughts. Enyo release the chains."

Ichigo felt the tightness that was binding his body suddenly disappear. Then the sword was pointing at his chest. It plunged right where his heart would be. Instead of the the pain that should come with being stabbed a warmth was radiating from his chest and it was slowly spreading.

He looked up at the wielder of the blade. The man was blanked face, he met Ichigo's eyes. The warmth reached his arms and legs. Then against his will he found himself standing up. His jaw was remaining stubbornly shut.

"See?"

With a flick of his wrist Ichigo was sent stumbling foreword into the room. He was walking awkwardly towards a table at the far end of the room. As he got closer he could see that there was a knife. He tried to fight for control of his limbs, finding that struggling was useless.

He stood at the table. His arm started to reach towards it. With widening eyes he resumed his struggle, this time a lot more fiercer. It was still mostly useless, the most that he accomplished was that he could twitch his pinky, but that was only when he used all of his reiatsu. His hand wrapped around the hilt of the knife.

The cool steel bit at his skin. Once his hand had a firm hold on the blade he brought it to his chest. His other hand wrapping around it, overlapping the original hand on it. It was aimed straight for his throat.

He felt a stirring at the back of his head, it was a presence that he hadn't felt since he got his shinigami powers back. It wasn't particularly welcomed but there wasn't much he was able to do.

The blade was moving closer to his throat now. He felt himself blackout as the blade jerked swiftly to his throat. When he came to, maybe a second later, he saw that the knife had been impaled into his shoulder as well and the warmth was receding from his limbs.

"Very good. That is truly who we've been looking for." The king had drawn closer to him. "Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Sachio Hayashi."

Ichigo stared at him. While he may have not been the smartest person in the world, Ichigo was still struggling with trying to find the motive behind these people.

"You should know that this is nothing personal." Sachio smiled, but his eyes told a different story. This was personal, and very much so.

Sachio turned his head and motioned for the two men that Ichigo had yet to be introduced to. "Masao, Tadashi, make sure he's comfortable."

The stress on the last word, made it sound like that it wasn't going to be a very comfortable stay for Ichigo. He had no choice but to be dragged off with the two men. One of them, he had blond hair that he pulled back into the tiniest of ponytails, and the bluest eyes Ichigo had ever seen. The other man, he had flaming red hair that was spiked at the front but the sides of his head were short. He had intense green eyes, he also had gauges in his ears.

Between the two of them they hoisted Ichigo in the middle. They headed off down a different corridor. They made so may twists and turns that he couldn't keep track of where they had turned left and where they had turned right. Once again the echoing was throwing off his sound perception, making him dizzy and lose his sense of direction. Ichigo found himself thinking that they made it this way so that their prisoner would get disoriented running around trying to force their way out.

Ichigo's ears popped indicating that they were going lower, at a gentle slope, but still lower. After several more moments after walking they came to a heavy looking door. It was similar to the one he had previously, but it wasn't the same, as this one had a bar that went across it, as well as a keyhole. The red haired man shove him into the blond man and walked open to the door muttering an incantation.

The door swung open, with a louder screeching sound than the one in Ichigo's previous cell, this time he did see several sparks and the scrape marks from the doors travel. The man who had opened the door grabbed Ichigo's other arm and finished dragging him into the room.

He was forcibly flung to the floor, for the second time in one day. The door shut behind the two men, he thought that he saw Yuna appear in the hallway just as the door clicked shut.

Both men eyed the poor boy with a sadistic delight in their eyes. The red hair man pulled out his sword. He eyed the young teen. "Lacerate,Muketsu!

The blade turned into a short dagger with sharp looking edges. It wasn't radiating that much power, and it was small so it wouldn't be that useful in a battle between it and Zangetsu, but something told Ichigo that it wasn't meant as a fighting weapon.

"Small isn't she?" The main spoke in very choppy words, making it evident that he wasn't used to the delicate language of Japanese. He was from one of the more heavily accented nations, maybe Scotland? Ichigo pondered.

"She's isn't much on fighting, but she's a devil in her own way." He twirled the dagger called Muketsu in his had.

He bent down to cut off Ichigo's bandages, using his dagger he accidentally nicked Ichigo lightly. Where it should've been the barest of cuts, it shouldn't have even drawn blood, was a small trickle of crimson being pulled down by gravity. His eyes widened. He wracked his brain for what Sachio had said about these guy's zanpakuto.

"Ah damn. Spoiled the surprise with that little bugger of a cut." The man said yanking off the old bandages. Then the dagger that was still in his shoulder. Ichigo looked at it in surprise, it had been in there the entire time. He looked at where it had been imbedded, it was turning a sickly green color.

"Looks like the poison is spreading." The wielder of Muketsu remarked.

"It is. Let us leave Tadashi, we need to let the poison do its job before we can do ours." The man who must be Masao spoke.

Tadashi sighed. "Aye."

"Don't worry you'll have your fun." Masao grinned devilishly.

"Can't I cut him at least once, let his see my power first hand?" Tadashi tilted his head.

"Do what you will. Just don't kill him."

Tadashi nodded. He bent down and yanked on Ichigo's good arm stretching it outwards. Tadashi proceeded to plunge the dagger into his shoulder and drug it down three inches or so, the ripped it out.

Ichigo yowled in pain. He looked over to see that a fair amount of blood was already welling up into the wound. Tadashi wore a content smile on his face as he wiped away the crimson liquid off of his blade. Then Tadashi sheathed his blade and turned to walk out of the cell. Masao followed behind him. The door slammed shut once more. Leaving Ichigo bathed in almost pitch blackness.

There was somehow the barest amount of light in the room with no distinct light source. He crawled over to a wall finding that it was to much effort to try and stand up and walk. He gritted his teeth as small bits of debris and pebbles scraped against his wounds on his stomach. He was grateful when he reached the wall. Shoving himself up with as much strength as he could muster, which wasn't a lot, had flipped himself over with his shoulders and head supported against the wall. He was already wheezing with each breath he took. He chalked that up to him being poisoned.

He looked over to where he had been stabbed the wound showed no signs of stopping its flow but it wasn't as bad as it had been. It stung terribly and the feeling of the sticky blood slicking his arm was disgusting, but sadly it was familiar.

Ichigo wasn't sure how long he had been laying in his awkward position before he felt a cold sweat break out, mingling with his blood. He could only imagine what he smelled like, he was pretty sure it would be revolting.

He closed his eyes, his body convulsed and pain tore through his body with a ferocity that he didn't know could exist. The poison was taking its toll on his body but it didn't seem to be harming him. Instead it was making him hyperalert to every sensation that assaulted his body. Like the stone that was rough a poking out slightly into his neck, while most of the time he wouldn't even feel it, at the moment it was like being pricked with a thin needle repeatedly. Those wounds that he received however long ago, he still didn't have a timeline, weren't close to being healed and the one that went through his side felt like it was on fire, and with even the slightest movements in felt like someone was digging their fingernails into the exposed muscle and scratching a the tender flesh.

His heart beat was raised, and he was truly scared, maybe not for the first time in his life, he had been afraid plenty of times, but this was different. Those times he was able to do something, like fight and argue. Now he was afraid and he was unable to do something, most of the time he couldn't even speak. He supposed that was difference, the times he was afraid before he considered himself to be strong, yet here in this dungeon, he was utterly weak, he couldn't even speak out against his captors because talking took more energy that he had at the moment.

Soon his lack of energy conquered his want to stay up and be on guard. He fell into an unrestful sleep. In his dream he was surrounding by crushing darkness he was unable to move. As he looked around he looked up and there was a flash of something it looked like eyes, that were yellow, they disappeared as briefly as they came and the darkness converged on him. Strangling him until he was no longer able to breath, trying to crush every single last shred of hope he had.

Ichigo awoke gasping for air. He looked around and still found himself in his poorly lit cage. His head was pounding, his throat scratchy, everything was screaming in pain, and he was terrified. He did his best to curl unto himself. He knew he wouldn't act like this under normal circumstances. But he didn't know who these people were, what they wanted with him, and they were screwing with him. Physically and mentally.

He did something that he hated doing, he felt like it made people see him as weak. A strangled sob tore from his throat. His situation was so full of despair he couldn't imagine how badly it was raining in his inner world. Trying to pull himself into a tighter ball, he winced and groaned at every movement, he moved his lips but no sound came out. He was uttering something though. His lips framed the words.

_'Somebody save me. Doesn't anyone want to protect me as I've done them a dozen times over?' _

He knew it seemed childish and selfish but he couldn't help it. It wasn't like he wanted his friends to fight these guys to save him, in fact he knew that once his friends found out he was missing there was no doubt in Ichigo's mind that they were going to do everything they could to find him. He merely uttered those words to give him more hope. They were something he could believe in. That somebody _will _save him. That somebody _wants _to protect him.

This time when sleep overtook him, it truly was sleep. It was serene, and he enjoyed it fully. He would need every ounce of sleep and he'd have to muster every reserve of strength he had if he was going to make it out alive.

This time when he dreamt he dreamt of a snowy place that went on for miles, it must've been freezing yet the cold had no effect on him. He could faintly here distant rumblings that sounded like a voice, he couldn't make out much more than that over the snowstorm that was blowing around him.

* * *

**Hey an early chapter wouldn't you know? It really is possible! So how'd you like chapter 3? Leave a review with your thoughts. Anyway I'm out to write chapter 4! Later! ~IF**


	4. Mysterious Words and Chains

**Yay~! Another early update~! Sorry about the same change. So if you didn't read the author's note its because I plan to have a sequel for this story called To Protect the Protector, because it fits better they way. So as of right now how would you guys feel about a sequel? Anyway thanks to Yashiru Kusajishi, Phantom Claire and Mer Mer! I love hearing from you. Disclaimer and chapter? I think so~. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

Toshiro had claimed Ichigo's vacant room. He wasn't entirely sure why but he just knew that being surrounded by Ichigo's scent calmed him down, but it did, and he was willing to do anything so he didn't get so stressed that he snapped at his away team. He was laying in Ichigo's bed. He had thought the teen would smell like strawberries, he was pretty sure Matsumoto had gotten the idea in his head, but the teen actually smelled like chocolate and a hint of strawberries, surprisingly enough.

Either way, the bed was still a few inches to big for him, even though he had gown a few inches himself. The first day that they had been searching Urahara had come to Ichigo's house and taken his body to a safe location, leaving a note saying that Ichigo was on a school trip. He thought about how the body had taken up much of the bed, leaving just enough room for a smaller body to slip into, not for the first time the bed felt so much emptier.

Preferring to not dwell on those thoughts, he close his eyes in an attempt to get some rest. Just as he was on the brink of sleep somewhere in the back if his mind he heard a voice that didn't belong to him or Hyourinmaru. It uttered only one word, yet it was unmistakable about what it uttered. The word utter was 'protect.'

Somehow, even though the voice had nothing substantial to it, he knew that it was Ichigo. How he wasn't sure. He found himself acting on an impulse and reaching out his reiatsu towards the origin of the voice but he couldn't find the source.

Whatever weariness that Toshiro had faded away with this discovery. He sat up in the bed. Looking at the wall he tried to recall everything about that one second. There was a minuscule amount of reiatsu that had flared up, to small to tell who's it was, but it was large enough that he got the most prominent feelings in it, fear and pain.

Though this event brought more questions than it answered. Protect who or what? Also was he the only one to hear it? But he was certain that it was Ichigo's, how he didn't care, but it did tell him that Ichigo was currently alive, but in pain. Toshiro felt an unknown rage build up. Toshiro had never felt this strong of anger before, not even at Aizen who almost killed Momo.

Someone was hurting Ichigo, and he could do nothing about it since he had no clue as to where the stupid strawberry was._ Wait... did I just think of him as 'strawberry?' What the hell! _He mentally screamed.

He let out a low growl in frustration. Hyourinmaru did this soft cooing noise to try and calm down his master. It worked only the smallest amount. Toshiro flung the window open hoping that the night air would cool his head. The question of wether or not Ichigo did this when he was upset popped into his head. He shook his head, thoughts like that would only serve to distract him.

Sure the young captain felt a kinship to the substitute shinigami, both being fairly young and already so powerful, and admittedly they both had a lot to learn. He also admired the teen's loyalty to his friends, that type of loyalty is something Soul Society desperately needed, especially in captains.

He wondered if Ichigo would accept being a captain. If they found him Toshiro would make sure that Ichigo was asked if he would consider being a captain. As Toshiro gazed off into the distance he didn't notice the reiatsu of his Vice-Captain until she was nearly on top of him.

She landed next to him. "Oh! Captain you look deep in thought."

He sent her a half-hearted glare. She looked at him with something akin to pity, but wisely did not comment on it. She knew when her captain wanted to talk, or when he acted like he didn't want to but just needed prodding. Rangiku wasn't stupid, she just acted like it most of the time, she was a Vice-Captain after all.

She decided that she would try to get to the heart of the subject the long way.  
"Captain you should sleep."

"Not tired." He replied coldly.

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes her captain acted like a young child. "Even so, being tired won't help us find Ichigo."

Something flashed in her captain's eyes that she wasn't familiar with. _Seems like I'm nearing the subject that's got him so riled. _

Toshiro kept his gaze on the skyline. "I can't sleep if I'm not tired."

"Did you even try?"

The slightest of nods was all she got back in return. She leaned against the wall. "Are you sure you're not tired? You're awful crabby."

Toshiro felt his irritation grow. Normally he'd be able to deal with his vice-captain, but there were too many things going on inside his head. He knew what the strawberry-blonde was saying, he just couldn't sleep, not after what happened.

_Ah. He stopped talking. _Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "Captain... I don't mean to pry." There was a mumble of "Yes you do." She bit back a chuckle. "But could it be that you're worried about Ichigo?"

Her captain's eyes widened. She allowed herself a small smile at the victory. "He's strong. He'll be fine. I bet he'll be complaining about how long it took us when we arrive!"

Toshiro looked away. "I know he's strong, too strong sometimes not only in power but in personality. Its those types of people you have to watch the most, because if they fall they fall hard."

Rangiku looked at her captain with a surprised face, he sounded well past his age. But it would seem that he wasn't done. "Whoever took him, they almost killed him in two hits!" Toshiro cried. "They aren't our common foes."

The Vice-Captain nodded. "I know, but I still think there was something about the fight we missed. I don't think that they're that much more powerful than Ichigo."

Toshiro gave the slightest of shrugs. _So there's something else as well. _

"Captain? Are you sure you're alright?" Rangiku asked him with a concerned tone.

Toshiro turned to look at the unusually serious Rangiku. She did look concerned, _She's actually pretty preceptive when she wants to be._

"I guess I'm stressed out." Toshiro said after a few moments of silence. "I mean so much had happened and its been a relatively short time period. It seems like we found Aizen was a traitor yesterday."

Rangiku nodded. That wasn't the whole problem yet. She'd wait until her captain spoke again.

"Matsumoto?" She perked up at her name. She never had managed to get him to call her Rangiku. "What do you know about bonds between people?"

She paused, pondering the best way to respond. "I know that a lot of bonds are strong, but not strong enough to stand the test of time. The few that are actually do last forever, because those soul's have found their soulmate. Well that's what I've heard anyway."

"What about those with reiatsu?" Toshiro prodded.

"Eh?" She asked, she thought about it a moment. "I suppose you mean shinigami? A lot of times if they've found their soul mate, they tend to be more in tune with their partners reiatsu. The partners can tell what their partner's feeling, and will probably be the first to know if their partner dies. Why?"

Toshiro figured that since they were on the topic he might as divulge what happened to him. "I was trying to sleep and all the sudden this voice in the back of my mind uttered one word and disappeared. There was enough reiatsu I could tell what it was feeling but not who it was. But somehow I knew it was Ichigo."  
Rangiku listened with interest. She had never heard of this happening but it would actually explain why her captain was interested in Ichigo when he first showed up in Soul Society, but he didn't get much of a chance to investigate with the whole Aizen problem. It also shed light on her captain's behavior when he found out that Ichigo was injured and missing.

"You could feel his emotions?" She finally asked.  
A stiff nod. "Not pleasant ones."

Rangiku decided she wouldn't push any farther. "Don't worry, maybe you'll be able to get a better read on Ichigo's location if it happens again and then we'll be one step closer to rescuing him!"

Toshiro gave her another curt nod. "Perhaps."

"Well I should be getting back to where I'm staying for the time being. Try to get some sleep. We'll start looking in the morning again."

With that the10th squad Vice-Captain leapt from the window, leaving Toshiro alone to his thoughts. The white haired captain gave a frustrated sigh. He shut the window and flopped on top of the bed.

He tried to get the voice out of his head. That stupid word, he would never be able to sleep like with the feeling of hopelessness that was slowly settling in his gut. Toshiro growled and forced himself to sleep.

* * *

On the other side of town a certain Red-haired Vice-Captain was scanning the buildings. He knew that there was no way he'd be able to sleep if they didn't have a single lead on Ichigo's location. At this point he didn't care if they got something vague like the went to the west. Renji wasn't a fan of how little they had to go on.

Then again he always felt like it was better to leave the planning and ideas to the people who were able to do it and he would carry them out. But at the moment Renji really wished that he was able to put things together. He knew that there was something that they had to be missing in order for them to not be any closer to finding Ichigo than they were.

This brought him to the problem of why he was so desperate to find the teen. They were best friends sure, they've fought together and against each other several times, so they were sure to have a strong bond, but Rukia, who had been with the kid since the beginning wasn't out here at 'o dark thirty standing on a telephone pole searching for anything. He decided that it was because they were best friends and Ichigo would look for him without hesitation.

It was distressing to think that Ichigo was somewhere alone, probably in pain. Renji knew that the kid was strong, but he wonder just how strong. He also wondered if Ichigo was placing as much faith in his friends as they do to him. Renji did have a lot of faith in the kid himself but with his personality it'd have to be pretty bad for him to actually ask for help.

He closed his eyes and focused on strong sources of reiatsu. He ignore the ones that he knew were the members of the search team, also he ignored Urahara's reiatsu as well. The first night that he did this he found a reiatsu that was similar to Ichigo's on investigating he found out that it belonged to Ichigo's father, which he found odd. There were no reports of Isshin having reiatsu before, especially that strong.

Going further than he had he previous night there was still not a trace of Ichigo. He was getting frustrated. There had to be something! They had checked the park for any anomalies, that turned up nothing. They searched further, but it was becoming more apparent to Renji that Ichigo wasn't in Karakura town anymore.

Renji sighed and opened his eyes. He honestly didn't know what to do anymore, Karakura town was clear of Ichigo's reiatsu, and there really wasn't a place anyone could travel to in this town that would be able to hid reiatsu, they had checked any possible places. From what he had been told Ichigo had gone through a portal, and hadn't ended up in Soul Society, so unless there was another world he didn't know about there was only one other option: Hueco Mundo. But they couldn't go there without special permission, and on just a whim, they needed proof. Which they had yet to obtain.

Letting out a throaty growl, he turned and shunpoed to his temporary residence. There was nothing else he could do tonight, dawn was nearly upon them and while he wouldn't get any sleep, he didn't want to worry Chad that he'd disappeared, doing his own thing.

_Just come back in one piece you stupid Strawberry. _

He could almost here the retort coming back at him with his nickname of pineapple tacked on to the end of the sentence.

* * *

Ichigo normally moved around in his sleep ending up in a different position than he started in when he woke up. Rukia had commented on it a few times. Yet he was still in that curled up position he fell asleep in, which was a testament to how injured he was.

He groaned, his muscles were stiff from sleeping on the floor, whatever poison they had on that dagger, he was starting to think of it more as a drug, was still in his system. His sore muscles, while under normal circumstances would be only stiff and tender, all felt like they were torn. His other injures that he had on his body were already to start to throb as he woke up more.

Ichigo took in an evaluation of himself, he was hurting, badly. His stomach also was starting to feel a little empty, he noted that his mouth was dry, he worked up what little spit he could to get it to moisten his mouth, just so he didn't have that feeling of his mouth being filled with cotton. All in all he could be worse.

Someone must've heard his groan as the door was screeching open five minutes later. In walked Daichi and Yuna. Daichi wore a stern expression, giving off the air that he really didn't want to be here. Yuna however scowled at him, showing him her full displeasure. Yuna's hair was pulled back and she had a box with her. Daichi took the box from her and walked over to the opposite wall. He took a few things out and the cell was then filled with sounds of metal being driven through stone. The loud noises and echoing was giving Ichigo a headache, but he couldn't just ask for aspirin or for them to leave him alone, he'd have to deal with it.

Yuna stared at him. Her head tilted to the side, and once again her face had something innocent about it, but he knew what she was capable of. He wasn't fooled for a second. She leaned closer and he pulled back. She pouted. "Aw. Why are you flinching?"

He stubbornly said nothing. While there wasn't something binding him so he couldn't talk but he chose not to talk, it was a small act of rebellion that he enjoyed profusely.

She straightened herself, the pout still adorning her face, yet it was slowly being perverted into a smirk that held so many secrets. "Not talking? Oh well."

She turned her head to see the progress Daichi had made. She returned her russet gaze back to him. She observed him, studying him like an art work. "Shame we'll have to eventually mark up that pretty little face of yours. You're truly a handsome man Ichigo, but maybe we can avoid any further damage to it, eh?"

Ichigo pressed his lips into a firm line. He didn't like what she was hinting at. Daichi finished doing what ever it was he was doing. Glancing over to the opposite wall he saw shackles hanging there threateningly.

"Done? Wonderful!" Yuna cried.

Daichi stepped foreword, and to the best of his ability, Ichigo pushed himself backward but he was already pushed against the wall and there wasn't much else he could do. Daichi leaned down and yanked him up by his arm, a yelp of pain escaped his lips as the movement jarred his injuries, causing them to bleed, and the drug also intensified the pain where it felt like his arm was being ripped off.

Daichi's face grew satisfied when he heard the yelp. He dragged the teen over to the other side of the room. He shoved Ichigo roughly against the wall. It was then ichigo saw what was impaled into the wall. They were shackles. His arms were quickly locked up and they were placed stretching out from his body, leaving his torso exposed.

"Now that's hot." Yuna said, joining Daichi at his side.

Daichi grunted. "Now what?"

Yuna stopped, placing his finger on her chin, deep in thought. "Good question." She tapped her chin. "What do you think?"

Daichi looked at Ichigo, then he walked over to the chest in the corner, he grabbed something, it was a smaller version of the cat-o-nine-tails. Daichi unwound it. "How about this?"

Yuna looked disapprovingly at him. "Huh? Whipping him? That's so boring! Not to mention it seems like a lot of hard work."

"Anything that involves moving is hard work to you." Daichi responded.  
"Not true. Fighting involves moving at that's not hard work." Yuna whined. "Besides whips cause bleeding that's Tadashi's job, we can't risk our prisoner bleeding out."

Daichi placed the whip back in the crate. "What do you suggest then?"

"Beating him?" Yuna titled her head.

"With just out fists?" Daichi inquired.

"Why not? I always wondered how fast a human bruises." Yuna waved her hand around in a circle. "Knock yourself out, I may join in."

Yuna leaned against on of the walls, her eyes were closed . Daichi sent a harsh look her way, then turned his gaze onto Ichigo. The teen stared back, there wasn't much he could do strung up like this. His body was completely unprotected,.

Daichi took a step foreword and lifted his first, a solid punch landed on his eye his head recoiled from the force of the impact and smashed against the wall. He was surprised that someone would be able to throw away their honor in order to punch a defenseless man in the face. Ichigo knew that he had a concussion, there was no doubt with a blow like that.

The next one was even more painful than the last hit. The man had followed up quickly with a jab to Ichigo's stomach. For a few seconds Ichigo thought he was going to lose whatever food he had left in his stomach. Just as the struggle began to regain his breath another jab followed through to his stomach.

Daichi was soon in a rhythm delivering blow after blow to his stomach. A few times Daichi had struck in his rib area, leaving more than one rib broken, and leaving Ichigo even more breathless. The pain was enough to make Ichigo want to pass out, but he was unable to, it felt like he was being repeatedly struck in the torso with a baseball bat.

On one particularly nasty punch it had actually gotten Ichigo to cough up some unknown fluid. Daichi didn't even hesitate to punch him again. Ichigo wasn't sure how long he was being used as a punching bag but it seemed like forever before Daichi finally stopped his assault on his body. Daichi released his shackles which had rubbed his wrists red and raw. Ichigo crumpled to the floor in a heap, ever breath painful and a struggle.

As Yuna opened the door, she walked over to him and delivered a sharp kick to his gut. Ichigo coughed up blood. Then like nothing had happened Yuna turned on her heel and left, Daichi was only a step behind her.

The door swung close and locked with an ominous bang. Leaving Ichigo bathed in the poor light of his cell. He was struggling to catch his breath. The pain was something he hadn't even encountered before. He couldn't figure out why though, his brain was groggy and he wanted to sleep. Afraid that he had a concussion he fought to stay awake, but there was nothing to keep him occupied. The pain was helpful to keep him awake, but his pain tolerance was being surpassed exponentially.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he felt a twinge of worry and of anger, but he couldn't be sure. He had lost the fight of staying conscious and was falling quickly into the black.

_Meanwhile _

To figures stood still surrounded by endless skyscrapers. The rain hadn't stopped in what seemed like years as it was now up to most of the skyscrapers second floors. It was raining so hard it was actually getting them wet. Yet it seemed that the figures didn't mind it one bit.

They were both looking up at the sky. One face, who's eyes were covered by glasses had a pronounced frown on his face. The other, whose face was normally adorned with a cocky smirk was merely blank.

"I cannot access my link with him, he's in too much pain to listen." Said the shaded man. He normally able to contact the young shinigami through their link, even if the teen didn't have Zangetsu with him.

He didn't know what was causing his wielder to be in so much pain. Zangetsu wanted to materialize next to Ichigo to see what his condition was exactly and maybe try to help, but if he could get Ichigo to listen and open their link he was unable to.

The hollow that resided in Ichigo's inner world was strangely quiet. It'd be a blessing on normal days, but now it just proved how much trouble Ichigo was in. Concern wove its way into Zangetsu's link, hoping that a strong emotion would break through the barrier.

Hichigo was looking up at the sky. Leave it to him to get stuck in a human, at least then he had been strong and could've taken over but the human was strangely resilient. He hated the rain, it was annoying when it was only lightly drizzling, but now it felt like a feakin' monsoon.

Hichigo's link with Ichigo was fragile at its best and no existent when it was at its worse. Ichigo didn't fully trust his hollow, with good reason, so they were never able to get that connection like he had with Zangetsu. The hollow didn't care, the teen left him alone and most of the time he left the teen alone, they borrowed each others powers and tolerated each other's existence.

When Ichigo lost his powers, Hichigo did as well. Then Ichigo regained his shinigami powers but not his hollow powers. The only reason Hichigo didn't vanish was because of Ichigo's fullbringer powers. He was still a powerless hollow and it annoyed him.

He was angry at whoever was messing with his landlord. The teen was in an agony that made the hollow surprisingly unhappy. Hichigo figured it was because he knew that if the teenager was fighting Zangetsu wouldn't have such a strange aura around him, so that meant he was in pain and not fighting back, and if Hichigo had to guess, he wasn't fighting back because he couldn't.

That's what really got him, here he was just another occupant of Ichigo's inner world, standing around, doing nothing, and his landlord was being put through a pain that nobody should be forced to feel.

Expect the people who are doing it in the first place. Hichigo was powerless and he was pissed. Yet the only thing he could do was feel through his feeble connection with the orange haired teen and feel what he was feeling. Also he was trying to think of a way that he could get his powers back so that he could take over Ichigo's body and rip these bastards limb from limb.

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**We're at the bottom and I see you! How's it so far? Leave your thoughts below! Any guesses on what's going to happen next? Leave a review! I'm really excited and hyper! I love you all~! Off to write Chapter 5! Later! ~IF**


	5. Battle! Shinigami vs Ex-Shinigami!

**Chapter five is here! I can't believe I'm getting chapters out so quickly. So anyway lots of fighting in this chapter. I know I still have a lot of work to do with my fight scenes but I think I wrote it fairly well. Thank you to Yashiru Kusajishi, Phantom Claire, Ninjapanda, MichaelisFangirl500, for reviewing. Well disclaimer and chapter is next in the line up. See you at the bottom! **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ITS CHARACTERS. I DO OWN THE OC APPEARING IN THE STORY AND THE PLOT, AND THE ORGANIZATIONS.  
Please don't use my oc's without my permission. **

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Ichigo wasn't sure how much time had truly passed from the time he awoke from his original meeting with the group. Though by how hungry he was feeling and the weakness coming from the hunger he was able to guess it had been about a week. His captors had given him just enough water to keep him alive every, what he assumed at least, two days, he also came up with the number because he's they've brought in water twice.

Each day two different people would come in. The day after he first torture session. Tadashi and Enyo had walked in. Tadashi and graze the tip of his dagger along his torso. Enyo had just stood back, and every time the redhead stopped with his blade she would crack her whip on his back, leaving deep impressions on his body. The drug that he had in his system had dulled down but it was still there and was always intensifying the pain.

He watched the door. It was about the time that his two tormentors for the day would walk in, that door making the horrible screeching noise Each day his "sessions", as he once hear Yuna refer to it as, got shorter as he was unable to stay conscious. It seemed that the amount if pain dealt to him would steadily increase each day.

He wasn't sure what they were trying to do to him, they weren't asking questions and they weren't trying to get him to join them, so he was at a loss of why he was being put through so much pain.

The door began its familiar song of scraping open. Ichigo looked up to see who would be inflicting pain on him today. It was Tadashi and Daichi. Tadashi's dagger was already released. Daichi had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

The two of them walked in and the door closed behind them. Daichi spoke once the door was fully closed. "I don't get it. How's this supposed to get him out?"

Ichigo mentally sighed, they had made several comments about his hollow, but surely they knew that when he lost his shinigami powers his hollow died. He watched them, wondering what they're strategy.

"Maybe it isn't. Maybe boss just wanted to break the kid?" Tadashi shrugged. Looking at Ichigo with a strange expression.

"Seems like an odd way to do it." Daichi shrugged. "You start."

Tadashi approached the teen slowly. Ichigo curled into himself like he did before he was dragged and pinned into whatever position they wanted him to be in so they could inflict the most damage. The redhead kneeled down in front of the teen. Cautiously Tadashi maneuvered Ichigo into an upright position. Ichigo was looking into emerald eyes, he hadn't ever gotten a really good look at any of his captor, and he was surprised at how handsome Tadashi was.

Tadashi lifted a hand towards Ichigo's face. Before everything had happened he would've not even flinched, yet now he was pulling himself as far away from the hand as he could. It was a subconscious action. He realized it was much like a dog whose been beaten, now every human and hand it saw going towards it was now an enemy and not to be trusted, even if the human's were trying to help.

It felt weird to have a fear drilled into you. Ichigo had never been skittish. He was a man who faced death many times and never ran in fear. Yet the simple action of a hand being raised sent shivers down his spine, making any thoughts of escaping and of fighting back flee his mind.

The hand had finished its path. It landed on his face and was caressing it? His eyes widened at the unexpected action. He blinked a few times, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He couldn't react. If he had been hit he would've fallen back and not gotten up, being caressed was something else entirely.

Tadashi bit back a smirk at the teens obvious confusion and shock. Wanting to drive the teen further, to see what else he could get out of the teen. He leaned foreword and stole a chaste kiss, it had no feelings behind it, but as expected it made the teen even more confused.

The redheaded scott knew that this was more mental torture than physical torture but it was what the boss wanted. He also knew that the orange-haired shinigami hadn't had friendly human contact in about a week.

He stood up, taking care to allow his hand to linger on the teens cheek. He turned around motioning of Daichi to follow. They had come to do only that, the two tomorrow would have to act on it.

The boss had ordered that the session be brief and non physical, he had released his dagger for nothing more than show. Today one of the five would be taking their cell out to the human world to take care of those pesky shinigami that were poking around.

He laughed to himself, little did the shinigami know what was about to happen. There were at least three captain classes among the group and the rest were vice-captain strength. He also was amused at how the king created his army. It was another Gotei 13. There were actually 13 different cells and cell leaders. The other seven of their ranks were currently infiltrating Soul Society, some where even members of squads! Others were observing the areas, finding strategic places and those types.

Of course their cells weren't made up entirely of shinigami, they were anyone who refused the ways of the shinigami, or were rejected by the Gotei 13. Of course there were mercenaries that they could hire, Enyo's cell was testament to that. Most of her cell was made out of Shadow society members. But all of the premiers, the leaders of the cells, were former shinigami.

Tadashi walked into the throne room, briefly blinded by the bright window light. Daichi was steps behind him.

"Good. You kept it brief." Sachio greeted warmly.

Tadashi and Daichi both bowed deeply. Then walked to opposites of the circle which had many gaps in the middle of it. Three premiers stood to his right, and two on his left. Tadashi stood next to Enyo. He was still amazed by her beauty every time he saw her. Daichi was standing next to Yuna.

"As you know, a group of high level Gotei members are investigating around the area we picked our guest up." Sachio began. "According to a report from the Devil Cell's Premier, the 12th division has finally located the anomaly in which we reside, and it would seem that the humans have ways of contacting the Soul Society."

There was a murmuring among the few premiers. Sachio waited for them to quiet down. "They know very little about us. They think us nothing more than renegades. We'll show them. That's why I'm sending a premier, with a few hand-selected cell members, to the World of the Living to show them some of our power."  
Enyo spoke up. "Wouldn't that be giving up out element of surprise if we attack them once?"  
"We don't need surprise. We'll storm into Seireitei, and take over by force. That'll be our surprise." Sachio replied.

Enyo didn't speak after that. He dark eyes cast downwards, her head lowered in a small bow.

Sachio clapped his hands together "Now! To announce the lucky Premier."

The premiers present straightened themselves, each hoping to get the mission. Sachio looked at the five premiers present. There was no doubt who he would send.

"Yuna! The mission is yours. Take whoever you see fit, but I want one-on-one battles. We aren't monsters after all."

Yuna smiled brightly as she was told the mission was hers. With a smug look to Daichi she bowed graciously to Sachio. "Thank you. You won't be disappointed, milord."

Sachio nodded. "Get a move on."

Yuna stood up and walked towards the doors. She was restraining herself from skipping out of her room. The Gotei members that were in the World of the Living were strong. Something that was suited to the Demon Cell.

She walked to her wing of the castle. There her top cell members sat waiting for her. "We have the mission."

Yuna had prepared her tops incase she got the mission. Her tops stood up and waited for her to open the Sekai Torabaasaa. With a snap of her fingers the familiar red-violet door opened. With a light shove, as if she was opening a door, she vanished into the light.

She walked through, the King had created a pathway above the dangai, so that his troops didn't have to worry about the cleaner as many of them weren't used to traveling like shinigami.

Her tops were right behind her and she walked gracefully on the floating pathway. It was about ten minutes later and they were approaching the area she wanted to be at. With another snap of her fingers the Sekai Torabaasaa door opened up. She leapt from her spot and through it.

When she emerged on the other side she spotted the group of Shinigami that she was sent to play with. They had turned to face her. The rest of her group appeared behind her, the last one kicking the door shut behind him.

She noted that only one had the haori of a captain, he also looked like the youngest. _Figures, probably has family connections. Maybe he's a Kuchiki?_ She thought with irritation. _Though that's the tenth's haori alright. _

Toshiro turned around to face the source of the spiritual pressure, surprised to see six new figures come out of nowhere. "Who are you?" He asked with as much authority as he could muster.

"Me?" The blue haired woman questioned innocently. "I'm a lowly shinigami, well ex-shinigami."

"I'm not in the mood to play games." Toshiro said crossing his arms.

"That's a pity. I am." The girl sighed. "But shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

The white haired captain felt a vein start to protrude from the annoyance this girl was causing him. "Toshiro Hitsugaya. Captain of the Tenth division of the 13 Gotei."

The girl growled. "There's no way your the captain! You're younger than me!"

Toshiro said nothing. The girl glared at him. "Name's Yuna. Premier of the Demon Cell."

Toshiro felt an eyebrow raise. He wasn't familiar with the title of Premier, or the Demon Cell. Rukia stepped up to him. "Captain Hitsugaya, do you think she could be a member of the group that took Ichigo?"

"The thought had crossed my mind. There is no doubt about that being our uniform. She has a katana as well."

"Very astute!" Yuna said happily. "I was actually a member of the group that took... what was his name? Kurosaki?"

The group of shinigami suddenly went tense when she uttered those words. Yuna continued sensing she had the upper hand. "He's still alive, King won't let us kill him. But, boy does he scream when you cut him."

She smirked. "You really put all of your faith into _him_? I mean an associate of mine hit him once and he barely stayed conscious. I almost killed him."

Toshiro heard someone next to him growl in anger, unsurprisingly he found that it was Renji, looking absolutely murderous.

Yuna still pressed on, enjoying the looks of pure hatred she was getting. "He's a handsome boy, but he looks positively stunning strung up and helpless to do anything as he's beaten to a bloody pulp. His yelps and whimpers of pain are so cute."

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Came from the group of shinigami before anyone had a chance to stop him the whip-like blade was speeding towards the girl.

Someone stepped foreword and stopped the blade just before it hit Yuna. A man with light brown hair that was long enough to be slicked back had drawn his blade and was standing calmly in front of his Premier with a bored expression.

"My, my." Yuna chuckled. "It seem that I struck a nerve. But it is rather rude to suddenly attack without warning."

Renji yanked back Zabimaru. "Isn't that what you did to Ichigo?"

She tilted her head. "Perhaps. We should talk more after we fight."

Yuna turned around and nodded, her squad leapt towards the person they wanted to fight. Her second in command taking on the red-haired man that attacked her. Another one of her squad members took the captain. She sighed. She observed the man she would be fighting.

Ikkaku watched as the others were quickly picked as opponents. He looked to where the invaders had been standing moments before seeing only the Premier standing there, she looked bored.

"Damn Isamu. Taking the captain for himself." She grumbled. "Though with the power your radiating you're looking more promising than that white haired brat."

Ikkaku felt a sharp flare in her reiatsu. She had drawn her sword and he did the same. "What squad are you from?"

Ikkaku puffed out his chest proudly. "Ikkaku Madarame. Eleventh \division, third seat."

Yuna looked impressed. "The eleventh eh? To be that high of rank in that squad must mean you have some skill. That's what I liked about the eleventh, it was always the most honest of the squads." Though unlike the eleventh she had given each of the races in her squad one person to represent that group in her top seats, instead of basing it on power.

Ikkaku raised his sword getting incredibly uneasy as the Premier started walking toward him, the tip of her blade dragging in the dirt. She had an odd smile on her face and she tilted her head. Then she vanished reappearing with her sword swinging down towards him. _'She's fast!' _He thought as he raised his blade to block her. If it had been anyone with less training than him that person would be split in half. He managed to push her back.

She tilted her head once more and a wicked grin spread across her face. She stepped foreword and within a heartbeat she was slashing at his side, it tip of her blade cut his robes but left him otherwise unscathed, partly because it was going to be a shallow cut and the other part was Ikkaku had shifted at just the right moment.

She was behind him, and he turned around to face her. "Will you truly not raise your blade against me? It makes you easier to kill, which I don't mind. But as a high ranking officer of the eleventh will you die like a dog and not fight? What would your Captain say?"

Ikkaku growled at the back of his throat. She was right he would die if he didn't go on the offensive but yet she was still a girl. Though being in eleventh it was worse to turn down a good fight, which she clearly was, and if she was the one to take Ichigo down it could prove interesting to see how much power she really wielded.

His battle craze smirk broke out across his lips. He raised Hozukimaru and Yuna's grin grew. "So you will fight me?"

"You look strong. I like a good challenge." Ikkaku shrugged.

"Then we are of the same mind." Yuna raised her sword. "But I really want to fight the white haired kid."

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. "Getting distracted?" He rushed towards her.

Yuna lazily raised her sword. "Slow."

Ikkaku swung again and again trying to get an opening. At one point his blade bounced off of hers and cut her arm. She looked surprised to be injured and Ikkaku followed through with a lunge that was easily deflected.

"How bothersome. Now I'll never hear the end of it from Daichi." She stuck her sword into the dirt once more. "Let's end this quickly."

She drug the blade an inch or so then muttered "Consume, Jigoku no Tsubasa!" The sword grew into an axe. "I won't use its ability on you. You're and eleventh member, like I used to be, never high up in the seats, but I was one of the only female members, at the time at least."

Ikkaku's eyes widened at the information. Based on the very limited reports they had gotten he knew they were facing shinigami like opponents but to learn that at least one of them was an actual member, of the eleventh no less, was like a punch to the gut. "Grow Hozukimaru!"

Ikkaku's blade extended into a spear. They were both fighting with large two handed weapons. Ikkaku lunged foreword, a battle cry tearing through his lips. Yuna lunged foreword as well brandishing her axe.

* * *

Yumichika stared off towards the area he had just left. He felt Ikkaku's and the girl's reiatsu spike. He had faith in Ikkaku's strength, but the girl's reiatsu was impressive, and she was most likely a skilled warrior.

His opponent on the other hand was downright ugly. The man had a poorly shaved head, in fact there were random clumps of hair sprouting up through his scalp, the rest of his head was bald. It was everything Yumichika could do from cracking right up on the spot.  
Another one of the things that made him unusual to the rest of his squad, he was able to keep a cool head in battle, most of the time at least, sometimes he might get carried away but then doesn't everyone. He thought it was unbeautiful to fight with such tactlessness.

The two of them stayed staring at each other, with their swords drawn, but neither of them making the first move. Then Yumichika's challenger came flying towards him. In all honestly it was an easily blocked strike, the handler of the blade was inexperienced. He was holding the blade too tight and he was striking awkwardly and heavily. All Yumichika had to do was step to the right slightly and dodge the blade.

"What an unbeautiful strike." Yumichika stated dryly.

The man gritted his teeth and attacked again, once more it was only a step to the side to avoid the hit. Yumichika dully wondered if he was here because they wanted to get rid of such a poor swordsman.

Yumichika swung his sword down at his opponents exposed shoulder. Striking it he heard the familiar sound of metal meeting flesh. He swung his blade to the side allowing the blood to run off the tip.

Yumichika sighed, he wasn't one for holding back his insults during battle. "Honestly, you aren't fit to fight a member of the eleventh. A fourth squad member is a better fight than you."

The man leapt away observing his wound. "Provoke, Ikari!" The katana burst into a blinding red light, and then as the light dissipated, Yumichika saw that the sword was now a hand cannon.

He arched an eyebrow. He was not unfamiliar with the human's and their cannons and he knew what they did, so he was weary of the weapon, because his opponent was now confident in his stance and he knew how to use this weapon.

It dawned on Yumichika that this wasn't a shinigami, any decent shinigami would know how to wield a sword, but this guys reiatsu was something he wasn't familiar with. It was weak, to him at least, and he was ratty. Even the most unkempt of shinigami weren't this tacky, Yumichika should know being in the eleventh.

"Who are you?" Yumichika inquired, he honestly didn't care who this guy was but it could prove to be vital information.

"Goro Bando." Goro replied. "And you?"

Yumichika scoffed. "An ugly person like yourself asking me for my name? All you need to know is that I'm the fifth seat in the eleventh squad."

Goro looked unimpressed and didn't care about Yumichika's lack of manners towards him. Instead he lifted the hand cannon and aimed it towards Yumichika. "Whatever, you'll just die a no name then."

Yumichika laughed haughtily. "Do you think you can kill me?"

Goro said nothing. He fired his hand cannon Yumichika dodged easily and rushed foreword. He plunged his blade into Goro's chest. He felt the blade push through to the other side, he had killed the man and there was nothing nobody could do to keep him alive.

Yumichika pulled his blade out of Goro's quickly cooling body, he sheathed his blade and started to head back towards the park. He was a few steps away when he felt his back heat up, as he was in the process of turning around he saw a large fireball hurling towards him, it was too close to dodge and it hit him in the back. He flew foreword several feet skidding in the dirt.

He groaned as he came to a stop. His back was badly burned and he in was too pain to move more than his head, turning his head he had a poor view of Goro, but he could tell that the other man had released his trump card and he was laying stiller than anyone could if they were alive. Yumichika closed his eyes and let out a painful breath. He hoped that the others would finish their fights as quickly as he could and come and get him.

It wasn't beautiful for him to be laying face down in the dirt injured, not badly, and unable to move. He focused on Ikkaku's reiatsu, just so he could have some sort of comfort, knowing that Ikkaku hadn't died, he noticed that Ikkaku's opponent.. what was her name... Yuna? But her reiatsu was so strong that it actually could overpower Ikkaku's slightly.

_Though at least now we have information to work with. _Yumichika thought before the pain overwhelmed most of his sense, but he still stayed focused on his long time friend's reiatsu. He did feel the other's reiatsu sporadically flare and then go down.

* * *

**The battle between Shinigami and foe will continue next chapter, I didn't want to make the chapter overly long that people get scared off by the length and just glance over the chapter. I promise the next one will have a lot of action, also sorry in advance if you wanted Yumi to have more of a fight.**

**Well, in other news, we've learned a lot about our foes in this chapter, and I feel like I should extend an invitation to my readers. So as you now know there are seven other bad guys, I but there are six slots I have yet to create a character for, so this is my invitation, send me a PM with your character and it will be in the story, I promise you, and it may even be a premier. So send my your characters. **

**See you all next chapter! ~IF**


	6. The Battle Continues!

**Quick update for such a strong reply. Okay ya'll, my competition is still open for you to submit your villains. Since a few of you don't have accounts just leave a reply on my tumblr or deviantart, they're both under the same name so yep, if you have something you want to submit let me know there. Thank you to Yachiru Kusajishi, AngryHitsu, and Mer-mer for your reviews. **

**To my Lovely reviewer Mer-mer If I answered your question then wouldn't I be giving the came up plot wise? but if you truly want to know contact me through the aforementioned accounts, just so I don't spoil it for everyone else. But if you don't want to know that badly then my answer to your question is; it all depends on how it plays out. :D, well I know how's its going to play out~!**

**Well now to disclaimer and chapter~!**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND NON-CANNON CHARACTERS. **

* * *

Rukia wiped the sweat off of her brow. She noted that Yumichika's reiatsu took a dip, she felt one of the enemies reiatsu disappear completely. She returned her gaze to the auburn haired girl in front of her. Both of them had their swords released, her adversary's weapon release, was a duel handed, but they were weapons Rukia was unfamiliar with. It was a weapon that had a bar where the other had her hands grasping and there was a dagger coming off the area around her knuckles. Rukia compared them to bladed brass knuckles.

Sode no Shirayuki was also released but she seemed to barely tiring the other out, in fact Rukia seemed to be the only one getting tired and injured. The girl, who introduced herself as Saika Imahori, had landed a few hits on her arms and one on her face.

Saika wasn't even breathing heavy. She was standing in a martial artist ready position ready to go into another parry. Rukia kept her eyes on Saika, looking for any exploitable weakness.

Saika seemed to be doing much the same, she had her head tilted and her bangs were in her face. She was the silent battler Rukia figured, she had barely uttered a word other than to introduce herself and and release her zanpakuto.

Rukia didn't mind it so much about the not talking, it was just that the other girl was so agile she couldn't land a hit.

Saika finally let out a long breath. "Are you truly a vice-captain?"

"Yes." Rukia nodded.

"Pathetic." Saika spoke crisply.

Rukia felt herself become annoyed with the girls aloof manner. Just as she was about to retort Saika spoke over her. "What division?"

"The thirteenth." Rukia answered.

"Hmm. So due to our rank you should be easily over taking me." Saika spoke airily. "I'm the third seat in the Demon Cell."

"Demon Cell?" Rukia asked.

Saika waved her hand. "Cells are much like your divisions. Our premier is the captain and our divisions are named for something about them. My Premier has made a contract with demons to improve her strength, hence the Demon Cell's name. Others are named in the same manner."

Rukia filed this information away, it may be useful, but she wasn't sure how, and she had to live through this fight in the first place. Saika was back into her fighting stance sensing the conversation was over.

They both moved foreword at the same time. As it was like last time they fought in close quarters Saika was easily dodging Rukia's strikes, and the auburn haired girl was punching and slashing. Saika landed a hit on Rukia's forearm, and at the same instant Rukia cut Saika's shoulder.

They both flew back. Saika looked distraught that she had been hit. With a scowl Saika leapt foreword slashing at Rukia. For her part, Rukia leapt back at the right moment and only the sleeve of her uniform had been cut. "Sho!"

Saika flew back a few feet. It was a low level hado spell that all shinigami with a shred of kido could do at any moment. Rukia's eyes widened as she realized that she may be able to win this after all.

"Damn brat. Didn't expect you to use Kido, and such a low level one at that." Saika mumbled.

Rukia kept her gaze even. There was no doubt that Saika was a former shinigami. Her robes were similar and only a full fledge, or academy dropout, would know what kido is and what level. Rukia nodded to herself a battle plan forming in her mind.

Saika stayed back longer this time. Yet she seemed to get annoyed with waiting around and shunpoed to a position behind Rukia.

Rukia whirled around just as the blade was about to plunge into one of her kidneys instead it left a deep cut on her side, and went across her stomach halfway. She pushed backwards an focused on keeping herself in the air.

Saika wasn't giving her a chance to recover, the girl was on her in a second the long fist blades she was using were coming at the dark-haired shinigami with impressive speed. She was having trouble dodging them more and more shallow cuts blossoming with crimson as the blades made contact.

She raised her fingers. "Hado number thirty-three: Sokatsui!'

The blast left her fingers hitting its mark in the chest, sending the girl flying once more. She landed gracefully, she shunpoed straight back to Rukia.

Rukia was ready this time. "Sokatsui!"

Once again the blast made contact with Saika. It didn't hit her chest this time but it singed her arm, the one that Rukia had hit earlier. It dropped to the ex-shinigami's side, hanging limply there. Saika didn't seem to bothered by this as she kept on punching at Rukia with her good arm.

Rukia blocked the attacks with her blade easily now. She was finally able to gain some ground. She pushed her foe back.

"Some no mai, tsukishiro!" She yelled causing the area where Saika hand landed.

Saika leapt out of the area just before the pillar of ice rose up. Rukia was waiting for that and shupoed above Saika. She sliced downward, through the back of her adversary. Saika crashed against the ground.

Rukia landed gracefully next to her. She knew that the blow hadn't been fatal but she figured that the wound would be enough to deter the girl to not move. Just as her second foot touched the ground. Saika jumped up her blade aimed straight for Rukia's left eye. As fate would have it Rukia's head was turned slightly so instead the blade cut through her cheek just past her eye. But the blade had traveled across her already damaged body leave a devastating cut across it.

It would appear that Saika was still able to stand, though she was trembling. Rukia not to be outdone remained standing as well, the two glared at each other. Saika's harsher than the violet-eyed shinigami's.

"Why?" Rukia breathed out.

Saika tilted her head. "Why what?"

"Why did you take him?" Rukia managed to sound threatening.

"Who that orange-haired boy?" Saika gritted out.

Rukia could only nod.

Saika's eyes softened. "Is he why you fought so hard? I don't know why he was taken. King wants something from him, but from the screaming I've been hearing it seems that the kid is being pushed to his physical limit. Whatever they're doing it isn't getting the result the king wants."

Rukia felt a gasp leave her throat. The two females collapsed to the ground at the same time. Rukia was still curious about the girl in front of her, it was a habit that Ichigo had that had rubbed off on her.

"Why did you fight so hard?"

Saika looked away. "For my premier. I finally made third seat and I couldn't let her down. Goro failed spectacularly. He was taken down in minutes." There was the barest of smiles on her lightly tanned face.

Rukia bobbed her head lower. There were dark spots dancing in her vision. She knew that the wounds that were dealt to her were fatal. She only wished that she was able to make sure that the rest of the team found Ichigo.

"I used to be in the forth." Saika said suddenly. She was leaning heavily on all fours whereas Rukia was laying sprawled out on the ground.

"Fourth division?" Rukia's voice was but above a whisper.

"Yeah, odd, right because of my zanpakuto's form." Rukia only raised her head. "Though my zanpakuto has an interesting power. It can be used as a physical weapon. But its true power lay with healing. Though it comes at a high price. A life for a life."

Rukia watched the other girl with heavy eyes. She was fading quickly. Though she could see Saika shove herself up. Through what appeared to be complete willpower Saika moved her lame arm to hover over Rukia. _Is she going to kill me to heal herself? _Rukia wondered.

Saika positioned her other blade at her heart. "Normally I wouldn't dream of doing something against Premier Hasegawa, and I may be an exiled shinigami, but I still have a heart, I'm not a hollow. Your devotion to the boy, and the strength you possess showed me the errors of my way of believing the Gotei 13 were swines."

With that Saika plunged the blades into her and Rukia. Rukia felt the heaviness and weariness dissolve into thin air, it felt like she was on a cloud. She opened her eyes fully, and only then did it dawn on her what Saika was doing. She was reviving Rukia but killing herself in the process.

Saika looked at her with a smile in her eyes, they were watery. "You owe me a favor. So my favor to ask of you is to save him."

Rukia set determination in her eyes. "I will."

Saika seemed satisfied with that answer and slowly slumped into the ground. Rukia could feel her energy slow down in her blades. It was odd, to watch someone die and feel their reiatsu fade away, god knows she felt it enough with Ichigo, but this was her actually _feeling _the life force drain out of someone. It was a truly grounding experience.

Saika removed her blade from Rukia's back with her remaining strength but then it fell limply to the side. "Just remember that you owe me that favor."

Rukia gave her a sad smile, and watched as the girl's eyes drifted shut. Rukia remained where she lay, she was no longer dying but she didn't have the strength to move. She looked at the face of the her former enemy. She was young, it was a shame she had to die. Rukia looked at the quickly clouding gray sky.

_I will Save him. I was planning to in the first place. This just steels my resolve. _She though. She wondered how the others were doing.

* * *

Renji dived to the side as his opponent sent a blast at him. The male was proving to be a challenge. Renji couldn't really figure out the guys power, they both were in their shikai, yet the guy's sword had powers that reminded him of a Quincy.

He swung Zabimaru at the male and watched as the blade was blocked easily. The blade closed back together. "Who are you?" Renji asked again.

The man shook his head, Renji growled in frustration, again the blade shot out projectiles made completely out of blue reishi. Renji wondered why the sword was so similar to that of a Quincy's.

"Seems you've realized my ability at last." The man said.

"Not that hard." Renji replied, glade to see that the man could talk.

The man shrugged, tossing his light brown hair out of his face. "To a lowly shinigami such as yourself I was worried that you wouldn't be able to make the connection."

Renji's eyes widened. "Lowly shinigami? What about you? You're a shinigami as well, maybe an exiled one but you still are one!"  
The man laughed. "You think I'm a shinigami? You're so incredibly wrong. Its rather humorous."  
Renji gritted his teeth. The man straightened himself. "I'm a Quincy."

"Yeah right. Like hell I'll believe that."

The man shrugged. "Why don't you think I am? Is it because I'm wielding something akin to your zanpakuto?"

Renji nodded and the man let out another hollow laugh. "That's the thing with shinigami they see everything in black and white. I'm a quincy so therefore I can not wield a sword. I'm not a shinigami so I can't wield a sword that changes form when released."

Renji was about to speak up. But the other man wasn't done. "While I'll admit your doubt is well founded, it still proof that shinigami are outdated."

"Outdated?" Renji cried, offended at the thought. "Wasn't it your race that was nearly wiped out almost 200 years ago?"  
"Theres a key word in that sentence. I'll save you the trouble, it was nearly. While most of the Quincys are still licking their wounds and holding a grudge, I want to strike back at the shinigami and end them as the almost did us."

Renji blinked. "Aren't you working with shinigami?"

The man sighed. "They're ex-shinigami, and on a level you'll never come close to. Its even a surprise that you managed to take down two of our number. But of what cost? Both spiritual pressures that belong to your allies are weak."

Renji quickly sensed for the spiritual pressures belonging to the away team. He felt Captain Hitsugaya, Rangiku, and Ikkaku, they were easy to find sense their pressures were flaring. Rukia's and Yumichika's were harder to find but he couldn't tell much more than that.

The man watched, evidentially amused. "Your devotion is credible. Especially towards that brat. Wouldn't it make more sense to leave it, you didn't have anything to go on really."

_He must mean Ichigo. _Renji thought to himself. _This bastard knows something! _

Renji raised Zabimaru threateningly. "Where is Ichigo?" He growled out.

"Ichigo?" The man raised an eyebrow. "The brat that Premier Hasegawa and the others captured? We have him."

"Where is he?" Renji snapped.

"Someplace you can't get to." The man shrugged. "Though I hope that you told him everything you wanted him to know. The king has some nasty plans for him."

Renji felt his anger rise. This man knew something about his friend and he wasn't spilling. He was also hinting, that Ichigo wasn't going to be around much longer. He was threatening Ichigo, Renji couldn't stand it.

He leapt foreword with impressive speed bringing Zabimaru down and he was getting close. Just as he was about to hit the man, in a blow that would've killed him. The Quincy raised his blade and shot the "arrows" at Renji's fully exposed torso. They ripped through him.

Renji stopped his motions and slowly started to sink down to his knees. The Quincy looked at him with a mix of delight and displeasure. "Honestly being so rash will get you killed, if I haven't already. If you should survive, and if you ever come across me again, you should know the name of your killer. I'm Osamu Watanabe."

Renji collapsed into a heap. He was injured gravely, and he knew it. He wondered what Captain Kuchiki would think about him losing to a Quincy. He'd probably get another long lecture and then forced to do more paperwork than he already did .

He watched and Osamu walked away, he didn't even have a scratch on him He had splatters of blood covering his suit. He tossed his arm up as if saying farewell to a friend. "That, Abarai-san, is the strength of a vice-captain in the Neo-Gotei."

Renji let out a shuttering breath. _Neo-Gotei? _He wondered. He used his remaining strength to flip over and look up at the sky. The gray clouds were slowly coming together. _Rain? _

He hadn't thought that it would rain today, he thought about it being Captain Hitsugaya's zanpakuto, yet the small Captain's reiatsu wasn't flaring like it would be if he was using the attack. _So it must be rain._

* * *

Rangiku had finished her fight quickly, the one who attacked her was weak, and seemingly unskilled. Though he had managed to get a few hits in on her, the worst of them was a gash on her leg. The man had almost fainted when she released Haineko. It didn't help that he was also a pervert and had commented on her assets in a lewd manner. Which ticked her off to no end.

She was shunpoing towards where she and felt Renji's reiatsu nearly disappear. She was certain that he captain was doing fine in his battle. Rangiku couldn't figure out their foes ranking system, there seemed to be huge gaps in their strength, she figured that Yuna, or whoever it was wouldn't send weaklings to battle with captain and vice-captain class. She could be wrong, but from what she could tell the strongest were either already taken care of or in the midst of a battle.

She reached the area where Renji's reiatsu was at its strongest. She gasped as she saw the fiery sixth division vice-captain laying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were barely opened. She crossed the distance quickly.

Rangiku was shocked at how many wounds littered his body, and how grievous they were. She looked around, hoping that one of the fourth would suddenly appear out of nowhere. Unfortunately for her none did, Rangiku cursed to herself for not bothering to pay attention in the academy when the taught basic healing kido.

The only hope Renji had for survival was getting treated as quickly as possible, Urahara's shop was close, but it was to risky to move the red-haired shinigami. She sighed, she didn't have a choice if the tattooed man was to live to see another day.

As if someone answered her prayers there was a rustling in the bushes, and then emerged the former captain, the Flash-Goddess, and Tessai.

"Oh my." Urahara stated calmly. "Seems Abarai-kun met the wrong end of something."

Tessai was already using his kido to stabilize the shinigami. Rangiku let out another sigh, this time in relief.

Urahara turned to her. "What's happened? I felt a reiatsu similar to the one I felt when Ichigo was taken."

Rangiku looked up at the inventor. "From what she said, she was one of the group that took Ichigo. She and a small force attacked us."

Urahara nodded, as if he had already figured that much out. "Anything else?"

"I got nothing from my opponent. I'm not sure about the others." Rangiku replied, standing up. Surprised by how much better Renji looked, he was starting to get some of his color back.

"Kuchiki-san and Ayasegawa-san have finished their battles as well. Their opponents reiatsu disappeared." Rangiku explained.

Urahara nodded. "Yes, I felt both of theirs take a large dip, though it would seem that they're holding steady."

"Doesn't mean they don't need healing." Yoruichi stated calmly.

"True." Urahara sighed. "Yoruichi, can you go and bring them here?"

Yoruichi smirked and shunpoed off. She was back two minutes later with the limp body of Yumichika. She laid him down gently, keeping his back off of the ground. She disappeared once more, and came back with Rukia cradled in her arms.

"They had a number done on them." Urahara commented unnecessarily.

Rangiku nodded and watched as Tessai moved from Renji's now stable for to heal the woulds on Rukia who was in the next critical condition, since Yumichika was actually awake, just in a lot of pain.

Rangiku looked up suddenly as her Captain's reiatsu flared sharply. "He needs his bankai?"

"It would seem that way." Urahara mumbled. "Or he just wants to end the fight quickly."

Rangiku looked in the direction where she felt her captain's reiatsu. She sent a silent prayer that he wouldn't die, they still needed to find Ichigo. Behind her she heard the groan of Rukia as she awoke, and the shuffling of Tessai as he turned his attention to the burn covering Yumichika's back.

* * *

Toshiro Hitsugaya was not one to wield his power wildly, and release he bankai if it was not needed. Yet his adversary, who had introduced himself as simply Isamu, had forced him to. Isamu hadn't seemed that strong to begin with but as the fight progressed he was getting stronger and Toshiro was running out of energy.

Somewhere in their clashing of blades Toshiro had realized that with every physical blow he dealt Isamu absorbed it. So he had to release his shikai, not that he wanted to, but now since Isamu had called out his blade he was harder to hit at long range.

The white haired captain wasn't in the mood to drag this fight out. The others had finished theirs, one way or another, all but ikkaku. As their captain he should've been the first one done and taking on that blue-haired girl.

Isamu was waiting for him to make the next move. In their most recent of clashes Toshiro had gotten a lucky strike in, he had thrusted his blade into Isamu's right side, where the appendix was located. Which made him come to the conclusion Isamu had to be thinking about absorbing the strike, which made his job easier.

He would just have to make his attack numerous enough that the other man couldn't keep up with absorbing them. He briefly thought that Captain Kuchiki's Senbonzakura would be the perfect blade for the job.

The young Captain looked up as he felt the beginnings of rain land on him. The rain pelted his face. He allowed himself a nod of satisfaction. He would end this quickly. "Hyōten Hyakkasō."

Isamu looked at him confused, then at his shoulder where the first of the blossoms landed. Several more sprung up from various places on Isamu's body.

"What the hell is this?" Isamu cried.

"When a hundred blossom's bloom your life is over." The prodigy stated calmly.

Isamu only smirked at him. "You think killing me will get you anywhere? You think that you've limited our numbers? You're forgetting, we're waging a war against the Gotei 13, and if we need to kill that substitute shinigami, well, he'll be only the first of many casualties."

The last of the blossoms covered his face and Hitsugaya felt little pride as the reiatsu disappeared. Instead he was thinking over Isamu's last words. _They really will kill him. We need to proceed with caution. _He felt the worry that had been in his heart intensify.

He floated down to the ground, ignoring the tower of ice blossoms. He hadn't gone far from the area where the "Demon Cell" had appeared. He could still feel Ikkaku's and Yuna's reiatsu, the two must be going at each other.

He increased his pace over to the clearing where the two were fighting. As he neared the clearing he felt the reiatsu of his vice-captain and the other three's grow stronger as well. He made a beeline towards them. As he reached their little vantage point he saw that Urahara and his gang already there.

The former captain of the twelfth was fiddling with some strange device. He seemed to be trained on the battle, Toshiro spared the battle a glance, only to see if there was a clear winner.

Ikkaku's shihakusho was covered in blood, at first Toshiro thought that all of it was Ikkaku's blood so he quickly turned his gaze to the premier of the attack force. She seemed to have various cuts on her body as well.

_They look like they're even. What's with that axe? I can't tear my gaze away from it. _Toshiro thought, the sound of battle has ceased.

Yuna spoke angrily. "You're strong. You deserve your rank. To bad you don't see the falsities of the Gotei 13. I shall end you like the filth you are."

She raised her axe and was taking long deliberate strides towards Ikkaku, who wasn't moving. _What is this power? _Toshiro thought, he was trying his hardest to tear his eyes away from the axe.

In his peripheral vision he saw Yumichika's face pale, the normally composed man had a look in his eyes that betrayed all of his secrets. It seemed that he to was unable to tear his gaze away, but not because he was looking at the axe, but because he was looking at Ikkaku's unmoving form.

Yuna was closing the distance rapidly. Her expression was calm, uncaring, though in her eyes danced an anger. She was in range now and she hefted her axe above her head.

Just as the axe was about to come crashing down on Ikkaku's skull the man who had blocked Renji's initial attack against the premier appeared next to her. She let the axe swing harmlessly pass Ikkaku's head.

She turned her russet gaze onto the newcomer. "What do you want Osamu, can't you see that I'm in the middle of something."

"Forgive me for my intrusion." Osamu gave a long bow. "Premier Hasegawa, we must retreat. We are out numbered!"

Yuna scowled. "So?"

"We must fallback for your safety." Osamu's head was still bowed. "Do you not feel the proximity of the other Gotei 13 members?"  
Yuna looked up. "You're right. We'll just report to the king that the mission is a failure."

Osamu blanched. "Premier?"

"It is. Don't deny it. We were sent to eliminate the advance force of shinigami so they do not locate our hostage." Yuna growled. "However, we've done enough here. We showed them out strength. They won't attack us without careful planning. Which we'll know either way."

The premier returned her axe to its katana form. She gave Ikkaku a solid glare. "Madarame, right? We have a score to settle next we meet. After I kill your captain of course."

Yuna turned on her heel and sheathed her sword. She proceeded to snap her fingers and the red-violet door appeared. She walked through it, as did Osamu after giving Ikkaku a harsh look.

Toshiro was pleased to find that he regain his movement. Urahara's device was making an odd sound. He turned to ask what the it was doing.

"What-"

"Its scanning the portal." Urahara answered.

Toshiro shrugged and did an evaluation of his team. With Tessai healing their injuries they were beaten up but not in danger of dying. Ikkaku was the worst off, if only for the simple fact that he hadn't been healed. The white haired captain wasn't injured, he was tired.

Urahara put the gadget away as the door vanished into thin air. "I know the wave length of the door. I finally have a place to start to get you into their world. I was right as well about the Hueco Mundo anomaly, that's where the door leads to. Their wave length synced up.

Toshiro nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. He was one step closer to saving Ichigo- _Kurosaki, _he mentally corrected himself. His Vice-Captain approached him.  
"You alright, Captain?" She asked him, motherly concern in her voice.

"Yeah, a little tired." He shrugged. "But a lot better now that we're one step closer to finding Kurosaki and aren't going into this battle blind any longer."

The strawberry blonde nodded. She remained quiet as she watched Tessai heal Ikkaku. Her captain was in a better mood than he had been in the morning, and she was happy everyone survived. She had to laugh as she watched Yumichika worry over Ikkaku, though the feathered man was covering it up with insults and harsh tones.

* * *

**End of Chapter 6 and the small skirmish. I had no idea how I wanted to end this chapter. So this seemed as good as any. We get to go back to Ichigo next chapter, which I'm off to write now! **

**One last thing, remember my request is still on going. Send me your lovely character**

**A name**

**Weapon and its power **

**Why they left or where kicked out of soul society **

**Short Backstory **

**and Basic description **

**6 Premier spaces open~!**

**Later! ~IF**


	7. More odd feelings!

**Welcome back my faithful readers. I'm glad you stuck with me so far! Obviously you have if you're reading this! My OC request is still open! Details at the bottom. Thank you to Phantom Claire and Mer-mer for your reviews! Now on with the show! After this disclaimer!Yuna:Erm… What?**

**IF: Never mind!DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH NOR THE CANNON CHARACTERS. I DO OWN THE PREMIERS, NEO-GOTEI, AND THE PLOT!**

**See you lovelies at the bottom~!**

Ichigo had managed to move himself so that he was leaning against the wall instead of laying on the floor. His injuries were throbbing painfully and he couldn't get himself to think clearly, his mind was hazy with pain.

He wasn't sure of how long it was since Tadashi had walked in and claimed his lips, thought he figured it would be in the same day. It was odd to not have any sense of time. The teen really wished he had a watch.

His stomach tightened painfully, he was starving, he really just wanted something to eat even if it was small. He knew that his captors wouldn't be that accommodating. He wondered if his friends were looking for him or had they given up. For once in his life he was wishing that he wasn't alone.

He had always preferred to deal with things on his own, it was his personality. He had been close to his mother and she had been killed right before him. Somehow he had gotten friends, how he wasn't entirely sure. Though when he became a Shinigami he tried to distance himself further, but instead he ended up bringing the small group closer.

The door screamed as it was opened. He turned to look at who was entering the room. To his surprise it was Masao. He hadn't seen the man since his first "session". He looked displeased. He turned his gaze to the teen huddled in the corner. He didn't step into the room. Leaving Ichigo wondering what he was going to do.

"Yuna went into the World of the Living." Masao began. "There's a group of shinigami looking around for you. Yuna and her tops were sent there to stop them."

Ichigo looked up shocked at the information, and more than a little scared. He wondered if Yuna had just left or if she was already back. The grin of a victor adorning her face. Masao didn't give anything away.

"According to the information we got back it was a six man team, headed by a young Captain with white hair. The fight was impressive leaving a few of the shinigami with severe injuries. One's probably already dead." Masao shrugged.

Ichigo felt the breath catch in his throat. Toshiro was looking for him! He wasn't sure why that small thought sent hope soaring through his chest. He was actually hopeful about his outcome for the first time since he came here. Yet worry sat heavy in his stomach like a stone. Who was it that was gravely injured? Who else was in the team searching for him?

Those questions rattled around his head long after Masao vanished shutting the door behind him. Ichigo felt himself fall further into the dark void that was slowly consuming his mind one of his friends was possibly dead because of him.

He sat curled up with his knees brought to his chest, The position was painful but he couldn't bring himself to care. His mind was whirling with all the thoughts. He knew that for sure Toshiro was searching for him. He assumed that Rukia and Renji were part of the team and Toshiro would have his vice captain with him, but the other two were a mystery to him.

He stared blankly at the door. The hope that he had felt had long since dissipated, there was nothing hopeful about his situation. He tried to keep his spirits up but he couldn't. All he could do now is wait for the next time somebody walked through that door.

†††††††

Yuna was a person that wasn't easily frightened, yet when she had to report a failed mission to the king she was shaking like a leaf. She walked through the large set of doors. The king and the other premiers were standing at attention as she walked through the door.

All eyes turned to her. She remained steady as she walk straight up to the King. She bowed low. When she raised her head she kept her eyes trained to the ground.

"What do you have to report?" Sachio's voice boomed through the room.

"My- It was a failure milord." She whispered.

"A failure?"

"Yes. My team and I were unable to dispose of the Gotei dogs." She said.

Sachio chuckled. "Ah, young Yuna. Always one to make sure she isn't put above her team."

Yuna was waiting for the anger that was sure to come. Sachio spoke. "While you didn't kill them like I had hoped, our guest does not know this. Also they now know our strength. It will be only a matter of time before we have what we want from him. This may get us there faster."

"Sir?" Yuna questioned.

"All in due time." Sachio waved his hand smiling warmly "Now go to your spot and tell us about who you encountered. Bring in you away team!"

Yuna walked to her position quickly. She stared blankly across the room. "Only one of my team made it back."

Sachio looked surprised but not bothered by the information. "Bring them in. Then you can tell us about your fights"

The doors opened to reveal Osamu. He strolled in and stood by his premier's side. He looked around wearing a bored expression, he got annoyed looks from several of the other captains.

Yuna began her report. "The leader of the search party was Toshiro Hitsugaya, the Captain of the Tenth division. They still have Matsumoto as the vice-captain. Vice-Captains Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai are also on the team. There was a member of the eleventh Ikkaku Madarame, and the last one I'm not entirely sure of, he was at least vice-captain rank."

Sachio nodded. "So as of right now Soul Society is down four captains, four vice-captain, and two high ranked shinigami, who we can assume are pretty powerful. They're still licking their wounds from the winter war."

The premiers remained quiet, waiting to see where the King was going with this line of thinking. The king continued. "If we attacked now, we would have the advantage, even without the help of Ichigo's hollow. They wouldn't be expecting it either."

Enyo spoke up. "What about those we have undercover in Soul Society? They wouldn't know our plan. What about them blowing their cover?"

Sachio glanced at the beautiful woman. "They'd just have to join the attack after our appearance. They won't need to worry about their cover if we win."

"And if we don't?" Tadashi blurted.

"Then we'll retreat back to here and get the hollow." Sachio replied not concerned by the outburst.

"If I may speak?" Osamu quietly asked.

"Go ahead Osamu." Sachio spoke calmly.

"We do not need to rush the invasion of Soul Society. From my fight I could tell the dedication these shinigami had to our captive, they won't give up the search so easily." Osamu began. "Besides, you said yourself milord, I apologize for overhearing, that we may speed up getting it is we want from the substitute shinigami if we tell him about the fight."

Sachio arched an eyebrow. "That I did. You are correct we do not need to rush the invasion. Everything will stay as planned."

The rest of the premiers relaxed slightly. Sachio dismissed the other four and Osamu. Leaving Yuna and himself in the room. The blue-haired girl turned to look at her king. Her king was walking towards her.

"I am disappointed in you Yuna. I sent you on that mission because you've been in my rebellion for years, many years before even Daichi joined up. I have faith in you."

"Sorry, milord." Yuna bowed deeply.

"I gave you the chance to prove yourself, we finally get to take revenge against those you shamed us. Yet you threw it away." Sachio continued he was now only a foot away from the ex-shinigami.

Yuna said nothing, unsure of what her king wanted. It was true that she had served under him longer than any of the others, and they had this sort of bond that the others would never understand. They were kindred spirits. Both being alienated by their beliefs.

Sachio walked closer and slid his fingers underneath Yuna's chin. He gently pushed it up. "You were ignorant. Yet I do not fault you, this way when the final battle begins you have a reason to fight your hardest, after all you lost four of your tops."

"I also swore that I would kill the Captain of the eleventh." She replied coolly. Trying her best to ignore the close proximity of her Kings face.

"That's my girl!" Sachio said with a deep throated chuckle.

Yuna allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, milord."

"You're dismissed be prepared to deal with our guest tomorrow." Sachio stepped back.

Yuna dipped her head and turned to walk out of the throne room. She knew she hadn't been punished because of her familiarity with the King. As she stepped out Daichi was standing outside of the door.

"Eavesdropping, Daichi?" She said walking past him.

"No. I'm just leaning against a wall." He pushed himself off of it.

Yuna laughed. She knew the large man was merely worried about her. They were close despite their animosity around each other when others were present. She also was aware of how Daichi looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking at her. The longing in his eyes was enough to blow her away. She felt bad about not being able to return it.

"Whatever." She said lightly.

"How're you going to make it seem like you're speaking the truth?" Daichi said pushing off of the wall next to him.

"In the state he's in? It'd be harder to convince him that we're lying. He only has our word to believe." Yuna said with a sigh.

"What's up?" Daichi asked laying a large hand on the girl's small shoulder.

"I don't like doing this. He's a formidable foe, yet we're making him practically unusable." Yuna turned to look up at him. "Why can't King or Enyo use their abilities to fight for us instead. His hollow could be unpredictable. I don't trust the damn things."

Daichi nodded. "His spirit is strong. If the King had any other way I'm sure he would be using it. He could use a boy like him. But if his will is so strong to fight off a full hollowification, then breaking the bosses or Enyo's charm wouldn't be that hard."

Yuna shrugged off the hand. "Perhaps. It doesn't mean I have to like it."

She walked down the hallway to her wing. Daichi watched her go.

Yuna sighed once more. She needed to think of a good story since her team had died and she knew that all of the shinigami had survived, providing that they all got healing.

†††††††

Toshiro was sitting in the room with the round table. The four injured shinigami were once again being treated, this time they were being healed to full health, as they weren't being threatened with certain death.

His vice-captain was in that room as well, she had said she was going to check on the rest of their team. He let out a sigh. He hoped that the others got any information from their fights, since he didn't. They were already ahead of the game. They knew that they had a way to tell what the Gotei 13 was planning, which most likely meant that the squads had been infiltrated.

They also knew one of the leaders, or premiers as they were called, was named Yuna Hasegawa, and Ikkaku would know the name of her zanpakuto which would help them a lot when they searching for information about, this gang or whatever they were fighting.

Urahara emerged from somewhere in the candy shop and was now approaching the young captain, he looked to be in a better mood than what he had been since Kurosaki's disappearance.

The white haired captain arched an eyebrow as the ex-captain approached him. Urahara didn't stop until he was sitting across from the frosty captain. The young captain waited patiently as the older man got situated.

Finally Urahara spoke. "I started to analyze the data we got from when Miss Yuna opened the doorway."

"And?" Toshiro grunted.

"And I should be able to get a portal up and running soon." Urahara said casually.

The icy captain perked up. "How soon?"

"A week or a month." Urahara said with a wave of his fan.

"In other words, you don't know." Toshiro mumbled.

"Its something we've never come across before, so don't expect us to be on top of it." Urahara said.

There was a long release of air from Toshiro. "I know. Its just-" He stopped himself unable to find the words that would express his thoughts clearly.

"We're all worried about him. We don't know the extent of our enemies powers, and I have a feeling what we just witnessed and fought was the tip of the iceberg."

Toshiro nodded. "I agree. I don't like it but all we can do is wait for them to make their next move."

The two shinigami sat in silence, both lost in their thoughts. One was thinking about how to progress his research to a faster pace, and the other was worrying about what was happening to the orange-haired shinigami. Was he in pain... or were they being lied to about him being still alive?

Toshiro shook the thought from his head. He stood up suddenly earning him a look from Urahara. He didn't think he needed to justify the reason for his sudden departure. It was probably obvious anyway. He turned and walked out of the room, his captain's haori swishing behind him as he went.

Rangiku was just walking out of the room where the others were being treated. She saw he captain's small frame walk down the hallway. Her eyes softened, her captain was really worried about Ichigo. She hadn't seen him like this since Hinamori was hospitalized way before the Winter War, when they first learned of Aizen's betrayal.

Then again the young captain hadn't been himself when he learned of Ichigo losing his powers. He had distanced himself from everyone, he had been even more irritable at her typical behavior.

He disappeared around the corner and the strawberry blonde shinigami knew that he wanted to be alone. She walked out into the hallway. She wasn't really sure what to do. Not wanting to leave in case she was needed, but she also didn't want to stay and do nothing.

She peeked her head into the room her captain came from and saw Urahara looking thoughtful about something. Rangiku turned on her heel and walked back to where she had came from. She figured she could provide support for her injured teammates.

She walked in, not surprised to see that nothing had changed.

All four of the injured shinigami were sleeping. Yumichika was on his stomach because his back was still red and sore looking, Ikkaku had several bandages wrapped around his body and was sprawled, one of his arms was laying across Yumichika. Renji, who was in the worse condition was off to the side snoring loudly, his torso exposed to show an array of bandages. Rukia was curled up, protecting her tender front from further harm.

Rangiku still hadn't figured out how the young Kuchiki could've survived with an injury like she had, much less perform a healing kido on herself. _I'll ask her about it when she wakes up._

With that the busty woman leaned against the wall. While she was happy that they were no longer in any danger she couldn't help but think how nice it was to get some sort of action, to show progress.

Deciding that she would go for a walk after all she stood up. Walking out of the room she was surprised to see that the hall light had been turned off. She walked further down the hallway, she peered into the room where she saw her captain emerge from. She saw Urahara laying with his head on the table. She thought she saw a figure walking out of the door on the other side of the room. She continued on towards the back door.

She felt the night air before she was even close to the door. _Did someone leave it open? _She wondered silently. She turned to corner to see her captain standing with his back to her. It was interesting to see him in something other than his uniform for once. He was wearing a pair of pajamas he borrowed from Jinta, they were roughly the same size though Jinta was slightly shorter so she could see her captain's ankles.

She strolled up next to him. She knew that he knew she was there, she hadn't been overly stealthy and he would've sensed her reiatsu anyway. He continued to look up at the sky, his emotion unreadable.

She had nothing she wanted to say, and she was sure her captain was lost in his thoughts. The pair of them stood together in a comfortable silence, before a stiff breeze blew by them, even though it was late august the breeze made her shiver. She looked over to her captain, he didn't seem bothered by the cool breeze. He never was affected by cooler temperatures. _Or maybe he's so zoned out he doesn't notice_. A little voice in the back of her head supplied.

She shook that thought off. Rangiku was about to head back inside when her captain's voice stopped her.

"Just now, I felt his reiatsu again."

She turned around, his back was still to her so she couldn't read his expression. "Ichigo's?"

She saw his head nod. "Yes, it felt... distressed."

"Distressed?" She arched an eyebrow.

"That's the impression I'm getting. It also felt hopeless. I can't really make heads nor tails of it."

Rangiku stared at the back of her captain. "He's probably more confused than we are."

Toshiro grunted. "Yeah."

Sensing that the conversation was at its end Rangiku continued to walk inside. As she was walking away she thought she heard her captain mumble something like "at least he's alive."

She sighed. For the sake of her captain, she hoped that they would find the substitute shinigami. She headed to her room she was staying in for the time being. Her captain undoubtedly would return to Ichigo's house, more specifically his bedroom.

_Ichigo, stay safe. _She prayed before turning in for the night.

**And there you have the rather short, chapter 7. I hoped you enjoyed it, this was a tricky chapter to write, but I think that it ended up well. What do you think. As of right now I need 4 more premiers but send in your OC's they will make an appeance at least once during the story. I want some boys submitted. **

**I'd like **

**Name **

**Weapon (name optional) **

**Power **

**Backstory **

**Description **

**Personality **

**Anything else you want to add. **

**Well that's it for this chapter. I'm off to **_**finish **_**chapter 8! Later! ~IF**


	8. Choice

**Here's chapter 8. Unfortunately I won't be able to update for a while but I was able to finish this. Sorry in advance if there is any grammar mistakes and what not. Thanks to Yashiru Kusajishi, AngryHitsu, Mer-mer, Phantom Claire, and Firefly234. I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter. Now Disclaimer and chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH! ONLY THE PLOT AND MY OCS. **

* * *

It was the next morning, Toshiro trudged his way into the room with the round table. He had gotten very little sleep the night before, as he was haunted by the feelings he got from Ichigo's reiatsu. He hadn't told his Vice-captain everything, yes their was distress in the reiatsu and it did feel hopeless. But the thing that concerned him most was the darkness that was in it.

In some ways it was similar to a hollows, but in other ways it resembled a dark void that someone would fall into in there mind right before they shut everyone off from the world. The young captain chewed on his lips thoughtfully. He reached the room and was surprised to find everyone was already there laughing and appearing to have a good time, but he could tell the joyous atmosphere was faux.

The loud group quieted down when they saw the white haired captain walk into the room. He nodded in greeting. The others returned the greeting and the noise level slowly grew back up.

Toshiro wasn't paying enough attention to know what the others were talking about. He ate his food without speaking once. He was glad that the others made such swift recoveries. He was sure they were going to have a meeting once the two former captains join them.

They didn't need to wait long. Yoruichi walked into the room bright eyed she nestled herself a spot between Rangiku and Yumichika. She started to eat her bowl of rice without even giving a greeting. Urahara walked in, he was looking decidedly less bright eyed and had bags under his eyes. He sat down between Toshiro and Renji.

The atmosphere suddenly got a lot tenser, even if the formerly joyous one was fake it was still better than this atmosphere, Toshiro decided. In this atmosphere you knew something was wrong, whereas in the previous atmosphere a simple onlooker walking into the room might've been fooled into thinking that there was nothing out of sorts.

Toshiro suddenly found himself without much of an appetite as he recalled the atmosphere that surrounded Ichigo and his friends whenever they were together. It was always so incredibly relaxed, unlike those in the group. Ichigo alone always had an air of distance and tragedy around him.

As the young captain thought more about it, Ichigo's reiatsu was similar to the air he had around him when he was alone. He tilted his head in thought, it was stronger though, and distance was replaced with something else he couldn't think of.

He noticed that Tessai had cleared the plates away, and once again there was a silence. Everyone was waiting for someone to break the quiet and nobody wanted to be the one to do it.

Urahara cleared his throat. "It would see out enemies are stronger and more numerous than we had imagined."

The was a murmur of assent throughout the room. "The question is how many?" Yoruichi said crossing her arms and her eyes were closed.

"That is one." Urahara nodded. "The other is how did they get to the anomaly in the first place? After doing more researching of the anomaly I've found that its actually been there for a long time, so it isn't an anomaly any more."

"Then what is it?" Toshiro asked.

"Its a dimension inside of Hueco Mundo. Someone, or someone's, made a dimension out of their reiatsu, that's why we haven't noticed it until now." Urahara explained.

"Could it be their leader's reiatsu?" Rukia asked Urahara.

"Possibly." Urahara shrugged. "Now, what did you find out when fighting yesterday?"

"They seem to have a somewhat organized way of leadership." Toshiro stated. "I'm not sure how it works, but I'm pretty sure their leaders are called premiers and are like the Captains of the Gotei 13, though the premiers lead cells. We know one is called the demon cell, and the premier of that cell is Yuna, the one Ikkaku fought yesterday."

"We also know her power now." Ikkaku added. "She was also in the eleventh."

Yumichika looked surprised at that news. "Seriously? Its rare to have a female in the eleventh, buts its rarer to have one defect."

Yoruichi stepped in. "Under Captain Zaraki it is rare to have defectors. But at one time the captain and the squad were nothing more than a gang with power. It also goes without saying that we don't know when exactly Yuna was in the protection squads."

"Yuna Hasegawa, eh?" Urahara mumbled.

"That name mean something to you?" Toshiro asked.

"Not at the moment." Urahara shrugged.

"I don't think they're all shinigami either." Yumichika said recalling his battle. "There was no way my opponent was a shinigami, exiled or otherwise."

"They're not. Yuna's second in command was a Quincy." Renji grumbled, remembering the stuck up bastard he had to fight.

Rukia spoke up, her eyes widening as she thought about her fight. "The cells are named for something about their premier. The cell we fought, the Demon Cell was named such because Yuna, its leader, struck a deal with demons to improve herself."

"Struck a deal with demons?" Renji inquired. "I thought those only existed in stories, and weren't for real."

Toshiro remained quiet. He thought about what Ichigo would say to a comment like that. It'd probably be along the lines of "Right. _You're a death god, with a sword that turns into a giant snake made out of bones and have been to hell and back, literally, and you say demons don't exist?"_

Urahara considered Renji's statements. "There was an old story that was about how shinigami were the reason that demons were wiped out but in a last ditch effort they created the hollows, but evidently that story was true and the demons are like the Quincys, they still exists but in small scattered groups."

There was a moment where everyone was absorbing the information. Rukia spoke up once more. "Also it seems that their leader, which is called king, wants something from Ichigo, but can only get it by exhausting him physically, so they've taken to torturing him. But they haven't gotten what they wanted yet. Only the premiers seem to know about it, from how my opponent spoke about it"

"That would seem like something they would do. But what does Ichigo have that they want?" Renji spoke angrily.

Rukia, Urahara, and Yoruichi shifted uncomfortably. Last night in the recovery room Urahara approached those who he for sure knew that had any idea about Ichigo's hollow and explained to him what he thought the group wanted. He wasn't ready to disclose that theory just yet, he didn't know how the others would take it, knowing that a friend of theirs had a hollow in his head.

"Who knows?" The ex-captain waved his fan.

"How long has Captain Unohana been with the fourth division?" Rukia asked.

Urahara replied with a shrug. "A long time, I'm not really sure."

Rukia nodded. "Then she may know who my opponent was. She was a member of the fourth after all."

The others remained silent. There was a quick lull in the conversation. Renji piped up after a few minutes. "They call themselves the Neo-Gotei."

Rangiku who had been silent the entire discussion finally spoke. "Neo-Gotei?"

"Neo means new..." Toshiro trailed off.

"So they're saying that they're the new Gotei?" Ikkaku grumbled. "Cocky bastards."

Yumichika rolled his eyes at his companions use of words. "Of course it gets us insight into their mindset slightly."

At Ikkaku's confused look Yumichika elaborated. "They want to become the Gotei, they plan wipe us out."

"I agree with you, Ayasegawa-san." Urahara said. "It would seem that they also have infiltrated the Gotei protections squads as well, if what Yuna said was true."

"Could they be that good? Can they infiltrate us without a hint?" Rangiku tilted her head.

"Look at Aizen. He was a captain and we had no indication he was planning what he was." Yoruichi stated bluntly.

The six officers shifted awkwardly. A few of them scratching their head at the reminder. Urahara allowed himself a small smile at their awkwardness. Even though he had known about Aizen experiments longer than anyone he hadn't thought that they were for the purposes they were. So he wasn't exactly in a position to hold himself higher.

"Urahara-san?" Yumichika spoke. "How can someone, who is not a shinigami be able to wield a zanpakuto? Like the Quincy?"

Urahara answered seriously. "That's a good question. I haven't been able to find an answer. I'd understand it if they hand latent shinigami abilities like Ichigo, but for a Quincy, who hates shinigami, to wield a zanpakuto it doesn't seem likely. So my guess is its something close to a zanpakuto but its not exactly the same thing."

"Which means their leader is someone who was a former shinigami." Toshiro said firmly.

Urahara nodded. "Which makes this all the more tricky."

†††††††

Ichigo was surprised at how long it had been since he last got a visit. Though he assumed it was because they were busy doing something. He wondered how he looked. He was starving, had multiple bruises, his cuts from Tadashi's zanpakuto were still bleeding, and to top it all off he hadn't been able to get any sleep at all.

His dreams were of disturbing nature. They all had the yellow eyes with black instead of the white. There was also a manic cackle that went along with the dream. He would always awaken from the dream in a cold sweat. Then there was the dream with the snow storm, there was only the rumbling and the blizzard, nothing more and nothing less.

But now he was having other dreams. All of them different. The one he had just awoken from was Renji laying limp and cold in his arms as his blood slowly started to coagulate. He watched as something, it resembled a pale hand, was plunged into his best friends chest, and then it was gone.

He growled his frustration, well attempted to. He ended up going into a harsh coughing fit which left his body trembling. He knew it would be long before he could even sit up. He had always seen in movies that when the hero was kidnapped and treated as he had been the hero always walked away beaten, bloody, hungry, and slightly shaken.

He knew now, more than ever, that it wasn't possible. Your injuries would get infected, like he was sure his older wounds were starting to, the gashes on his front were turning a sickly yellow color and oozing something that wasn't blood. You also always winced when the light opened because you were stuck in perpetual darkness, whatever that singular light source was, that lit the room in the beginning vanished. Your body got weakened without food, so your tortures couldn't be as harsh if they wanted you to live. He was also getting sick, the coolness of his cell, and his discovered at one point the dampness of the floor, were conditions perfect for breeding illness. Without food, his body was unable to fight off the sickness as he was able to.

He was still getting minimal water whenever he got close to dehydration, which was a plus, he didn't have to deal with the sticky mouth.

He head thumped against the wall numbly. He couldn't see anything, and even if he could what would he be able to do. At some point he found himself reveling at the barest sensation feeling. That way he knew he was still alive.

The arm which Tadashi had plunged his dagger in, hung limply beside him. It wasn't of much use anymore, he still had feeling in it and could move it, but otherwise it was just a dead weight. It still occasionally trickled blood.

There was nothing to do but sit around, a teenagers dream, but he wanted to be doing something. He had listened to music and enjoyed it but it was a crucial part of his life like it was to some people. Yet he had started to sing songs he had heard so many times, they were on the radio when Yuzu was doing housework. He wasn't the best singer but he wasn't terrible, this gave him something to occupy his mind.

The fatigue his body and mind was to much for him and he fell into a light doze. He didn't want to but he couldn't fight it, first off if your body needs sleep there's barely anything you can do you keep it awake, and second he just lacked the willpower to fight it off any longer.

In his dream he was in a sandy place, the sands weren't of Hueco Mundo, but they didn't look anything like those he had seen in the living world. The sand was a tan color with a lot more orange in it.

Turning around he saw nothing by the sand. He didn't feel the wear his body had on it. Looking down he saw that all his injuries were healed, but left ugly scars. He didn't mind however, it just felt nice to actually be able to move without pain, he had forgotten the sensation.

He looked around once more this time he spotted a girl clad entirely in white. She stood standing in the middle of the desert. Everything about her stuck out against the tan-orange of the sand that enveloped the world around her. Even her hair, which cascaded down her back, was white. She remained still, her eyes were closed.

Yet as he went to approach her she opened her eyes and turned towards him. The intensity of the gaze startling him. Her eyes were an ice blue color. She was stunning. Then as quick as she came she left without a trace.

He blinked. He wasn't sure who she was, she didn't look like any of the physical forms of the zanpakuto he had seen. She was probably without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

As he close his eyes and opened them, a sandstorm and stared up. The tan-orange sand was wiping around in a circle, but instead of leaving thin spots, the sand was turning bone white.

With a surprised gasp he realized that the world was slowly turning into Hueco Mundo. The sandstorm reached his position but then it just stopped. A figure was approaching him.

This figure was dressed in white as well, but even from this distance he could tell there was a small amount of black staining the figures blankness. It was steadily approaching him. He remained rooted to the spot.

Turning his head to the left, Ichigo heard the sound of rushing wind. He looked and saw another figure, identical to the one slowly approaching him, was speeding towards him. He felt the concern radiating from the speeding figure, but when he tried to sense the other figure, he only got contempt.

The rushing figure was approaching the same distance away as the other one. Soon enough the speedy blur overtook the slower of the two. Yet the slower of the two suddenly sped up.

Ichigo wondered which would reach him first, or would they reach him at the same time? Just as the two got into range where he would be able to tell any features from the two rushing figures, a caring feeling enveloped him. It reminded him of how a father's embrace should be to a child.

It felt like he was being brought up to awareness. He fought it the tiniest of a fraction. It only delayed him seconds, but it was enough to see that they two rushers were identical, except the one that was approaching him from the front had long white hair, instead of the white hair that resembled his.

He was pulled back into an awake state. His breathing was elevated as he thought back to his dream. It had felt so real. Who was that girl? He knew now who the figures who approached him were. They were his hollow, but they were different... and his hollow was dead.

He couldn't figure out why there was a difference in Hichigo. Or why there were two of him in the first place. Also why did their feelings towards him feel so different?

He groaned in confusion which only made him cough. This time his cough was fiercer and left him struggling for breath. The pace he was currently breathing at was making his injures scream in pain.

All the emotions swirling in him was too much for him to handle. He needed to find someway to release them. He let out a hoarse whimper, his voice wasn't used much these days. Soon enough his weakened body was being wracked with harsh sobs. He felt the tears stream down his face, they cut through the grime on his cheeks.

In all honesty he was surprised his body was sparing the water for his tears. He couldn't find the strength to stop crying. He had never felt so pathetic in his life, he was even sure why he was crying.

He was exhausted. With the stress his body and mind, the fact he was spending energy he didn't have, and he hadn't eaten in god knows how long, he collapsed into a heap. He was spent. His eyes closed and he fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep. Allowing his body, mind, and soul to rest and try to recover.

Meanwhile...

Enyo stood next to her king, watching the child have a mental breakdown. She tilted her head towards him. Her perfectly sculpted lips curved into a pout. She hadn't gotten the results she had wanted, and in front of the king no less. She had even drawn out her bankai for the occasion. She darted her eyes down to where her sword had turned into a ribbon that wrapped around her arms, a small pattern of a snake embossed carefully into the ribbon.

She waited patiently for her king to speak. "Excellent Enyo."

Enyo turned her gaze back onto her king, he was handsome, a bit to pale for her tastes, but he wasn't someone she would refuse to look at because they were so ugly. "Milord?"

"We almost got his hollow." Sachio smiled sadistically. "We're so close."

Enyo nodded gracefully. "Yes, I can sense his inner world slowly crumbling. His sword and the good side of his hollow are putting up a strong fight however."

Sachio's eyes opened in amazement. "They can still fight, even with the downpour that they're sure to be getting?"

"The downpour is more of a light rain. Somehow he's found something to hope for."

Sachio darkened incredibly. "Something to hope for?"

Enyo backed away, not in fear, but incase he was to lash out. She couldn't risk having her delicate face damaged. "Yes, Milord. Do not ask me, for I do not know. Perhaps he's stubborn and still hopes that his friends will save him."

"Yuna was supposed to take care of that yesterday!"

Enyo shrugged gently. "No matter. He will be broken in a matter of days. Or hours if this is the pace he's keeping."

"I suppose." Sachio had returned to his calm demeanor, yet there was the dark aura still radiating around him. "He's given me a lot of trouble. Is there anyway he can watch what his hollow does."

Enyo sighed. "I am not sure. I shall look into it, if that is what milord wishes."

"Do it." The man growled.

Enyo bowed. "It shall be done."

The Grecian girl raised her head up. She was bothered by how much resistance she still had with him and his inner world. They would need to act fast, this was the tricky part. If he retreated into his mind, he'd go comatose and there was no way she could break him out of that. All she could do would be to cage him in his inner world, leaving him like that forever. Yet she could also be on the point of him breaking and they'd have his hollow by morning.

She was racing against the clock. For the teen's survival and they were steadily preparing for the attack on Soul Society. She heard her king leave. She turned elegantly to see the door swing shut.

In truth the king didn't understand her power. She watched the teen as he finally got a sleep that wasn't haunted by her power. She was able to manipulate others inner words and mess with their minds but in was all on her victims choice and willpower.

She smiled grimly as she began to walk out of the room, as she was about to leave she turned her head to look through the window and as expected the teen hadn't moved. Yes, her power depended on her victim in the end. What choice they made was all on them. She just gave them the options. _What will you do Ichigo Kurosaki?_

_Or have you already made your choice?_

The door swung shut behind her.

* * *

**There you all be! Chapter 8 is finished. I'll see you all when I get back, which I hope is soon. Still looking for OCs. Check the previous chapter for what I wish. Anyway, I'm off! Later! ~IF**


	9. Don't Kiss and Fall

**Meh, it wasn't that long of a wait, was it? Anyhow I had surgery done and a lot of down time, so I got working on a lot of things. So forgive me if the updates seem sporadic! On the bright side I will be writing more as I have more free time! Thanks Yashiru Kusajishi, AngryHitsu, Phantom Claire, and jasdevi secret sissy! Your reviews keep me writing! Onwards to the Disclaimer!**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. ONLY THIS PLOT AND MY OCS! **

Ichigo woke up, he felt well rested, but now he was more aware to the grim the covered his body. His already sore muscles were even sorer with how he had been laying all night. A shiver ran up his spine and he curled into himself to protect whatever heat he had left, thought it wasn't easy.

He had a sense of foreboding, though he wasn't entirely sure why. But perhaps it was because of the lack of visitors that he had. Figuring that at least one of his captors would've shown up. Whoever these guys were weren't the typical run of the mill people who wanted to take over soul society because they claimed to be more powerful than the rest.

These guys were playing it smart. Though he couldn't get out of cell they weren't taking the chance to tell him their plans incase he did get out. The group didn't seem to be in a rush either. Thats what was making them so formidable, they were planning every step of the way.

His stomach clenched painfully, it was begging for food, also his mouth was starting to get that sticky feeling. Even with a full nights sleep, he was still mentally exhausted, and whatever energy he got from the rest was going into keeping his organs, which were no doubt starting to fail or at the very least get weaker, going. He knew that the disuse and strain his body was going through would have severe repercussions later.

Ichigo closed his eyes once more. It did him nothing to sit around all the time and wait for the next time he'd be beaten. He would try to get as much rest as he could, for what he did not know.

He closed his eyes, but instead of the gentle cradle of peace that came with sleep, he felt his consciousness being pulled another way. But it was nothing like the feeling he got when he was going to have a nightmare, it was something familiar, and he hadn't felt it in a long time.

When he opened his eyes the first thing he realized was he was no longer in his cell, the second thing was that it was a steady drizzle of rain, the third being that he was in his inner world.

There was a feeling of elation that he was able to return to his inner world, where, as far as he knew, there was nothing to harm him mentally, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't feel an physical pain.

But the air in his inner world had a feeling of melancholy. He couldn't place why, but within the feeling was also a pure relief. Though for some reason he wasn't greeted by Zangetsu like he usual was, nor was there the hollow, some part of him still feared that the dreams were actual visions of his psyche and what's going on.

Having nothing better to do, and an abundance of questions, Ichigo set off to see if he couldn't find his zanpakuto. He wasn't even sure how he was going to start. He should've asked Urahara more about the inner worlds, or Zangetsu. As of right now he was completely lost.

He thought he heard something, so he turned his head towards were the sound was coming from but saw or heard nothing more. He continued leaping from skyscraper to skyscraper. Pleased to find that his physical wounds were nothing but physical, though the scars were a reminder that he in fact had be gravely injured.

It occurred to him that this was the first time he would have scars from his shinigami form. The fourth had always removed all traces of his injury since he would have to explain it to his father and sisters. He shrugged, as long as they didn't see him with his shirt off they'd be fine.

Something was pulling him further into his inner world. It didn't feel dangerous or harmful to him. It felt like a soft caress in all truth. He stopped himself suddenly. His mind reeling back to the time Tadashi did the same thing to him. He was pretty sure it was unknown to the king that he had a late night visitor, Tadashi moved very silently, and Tadashi had leaned down and once again kissed his lips this time however it was a chaste kiss it was a rough kiss that involved tongue. Ichigo tried to fight back, he clawed at Tadashi's chest. The bigger man ignored him and ended nipped and sucked on the teen's neck. Ichigo summoned the strength that he could and kicked the red head in the balls. Tadashi howled in pain and left in a fury.

Though the one thing that was continued throughout the entire time he was alone with Tadashi was the soft caresses, on his face, sides, back, but mostly his face. He fought down the surge of panic that rose up within him. Reminding him that this wasn't Tadashi.

Ichigo pushed himself foreword. Though at a much slower pace than he had been going. The gentle breeze was growing harsher as he drew nearer. From somewhere behind him he thought he heard the screamed word of "Stop!"

He turned around but saw nobody. He shrugged to himself and continued walking, his curiosity piqued. He had been in his inner world so many times but yet he had never felt something like this before.

Something that reminded him of Getsuga Tensho came flying at him. As he was trying to figure out what happened he was push awake. His body was shaking now, its energy completely spent. He began coughing, this spell was harsher than any he had thus far. He started to feel something rise up at the back of his throat, trying to expel the unpleasant feeling from his body he started to retch. He was using up to much energy and he was aware of it. He spat up bile.

His arms were shaking under the weight of his body, before his arms completely gave out on him he used the last of his strength to shove himself further away from his own bile so he wasn't laying in it, instead he was about a foot away from it. His insides were screaming. He began to cough once more, but lacked the energy to sit himself up.

As his coughing fit grew more and more severe, he began to also gasp for air. He coughed up something with a metallic taste and smell and without a doubt he knew that it was blood.

With his energy spent, more than he even had, he couldn't even move his hand to wipe away the blood. So he lay there, feeling as the blood trickled down his face and onto his neck before dropping off onto the floor.

Enyo had walked into the observation room just as Ichigo's coughing fit began. A frown perched itself on her face. She walked closer to the window. Wincing as she heard the intensity of the coughs.

She tilted her head inquisitively_. His body is failing. He'll need to make his choice soon. Or is it he has and isn't able to? _

Enyo's dark eyes widened as she saw the young male cough up blood. She was disgusted with the scene, yet she couldn't look away. The teen wasn't attempting to wipe away the blood.

She waited a few more seconds_. Perhaps he is catching his breath? _When he still made no attempt to wipe away the blood, Enyo sighed. She spun on her heel and left the observation area.

Her second-in command, another Grecian, was waiting for her. He bowed down gracefully. His hair was a light brown but his skin was a darker olive colors than her's. In his hand he held out her sword. She took it from him.

"Epistrophí stin ptériga mas." She ordered.

Strephon, as he was called, bowed once more and left the Grecian premier alone. She headed in the opposite direction. As much as she thought a beautiful figure such as herself shouldn't do physical labor, it would seem she would have to this one time.

She turned another corner and she was at the cell door holding their guest.

She walked silently and swiftly towards in. Without much thought she uttered the incantation and walked through the screaming door and continued until she was a foot away from the teenager.

"Entrap Suneeku Chixeen." She said as she pulled out her sword. The sword glowed gold and transformed into the whip.

She saw the young man's brown eyes look at her, fear had made his pupils dilate making the brown of his eyes scare. It was a shame, the color of his eyes was actually very stunning. Enyo hadn't been blind to the fact that the light brown that they used to be was now mud brown, the light had literally faded from his eyes. The fear had darkened it even more so.

She could tell his entire body was convulsing on a minor scale. She was no doctor, they used to have Saika for that, but they'd have to manage on their own now, but she could tell that the boy's end was drawing nearer if was kept in that situation.

Her exact orders were to keep him alive, but they didn't specify how. She raised the whip and cracked it to her side. "Bankai."

Her reiatsu swelled and the whip, slid up her arms and across her back down to her other hand, the snake emblem slowly slithering into place. "Kokoro no Rensa."

Ichigo looked at her, amazement showing on his weary face. "I have in fact reached bankai." She said with a shrug.

She kneeled down, her face contorting into a look of disgust as she knelt down onto the dirty floor. Her dark eyes met with his brown ones. "Do not fight me, neoi mia."

The teenage looked confused at the words that finished her sentence. He was still tense. She sighed placing her hand in her lap.

She tried again. "If you fight me your pain will only last. You'll die."

Ichigo's face was set in a determined line. Enyo had to smile at the boys defiance. "My zanpakuto has an interesting power. If you fight me you'll be struggling to survive, you shall be in a comatose state. But if you do not, we can heal you. There will no longer be any pain that you have to endure."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, he choked out a reply. "Like hell I'll let you do whatever to me willingly."

Enyo's face fell into a frown but straightened it back up. "Do not say I did not warn you."

She mover her hand, they rubbed his bare chest artfully dodging his wounds, they smelled putrid, she almost gagged from the barest proximity of them. Under her fingertips she could feel Ichigo's will getting ready to resist, he was planning to fight.

"The spirits within you are strong." She stated. "Perhaps they are your previous lives. Maybe you've been to Elysium. You could obtain the Isle of the Blessed!"

Ichigo stared at her duly and Enyo sighed. "Its an old Greek myth. Something easterner would not understand."

Her hands reached his face, she cupped her face, their eyes just locked onto each other. "You should be grateful that I am even offering you this mercy."

She bent down, her lips grazing his. She kissed him.

Ichigo couldn't help but think there were so many things wrong with this kiss. First off Enyo's lips were to soft, and warm. There was something about them that were just not right. Any teenage boy would kill to kiss someone who had a supermodel level body and beauty.

Then he thought about Tadashi's kisses. His lips were chapped and made the kiss rough, he had hot lips. It felt slightly closer to what he liked. When he didn't have his shinigami powers he spent a lot of time figuring out things that most teenagers would know by their last year in high school. During that time he learned that he was bisexual with a preference to men.

But neither of this two very attractive shinigami were what he wanted. He pictured his lover to have smooth, but slightly chapped lips. The kisses would vary from rough and passionate to soft and full of emotion. The kiss would be cool, not warm like Enyo's or hot like Tadashi. He figured it would be like kissing Toshiro.

He paused his thoughts. Why would he think of Toshiro? Maybe it was because he wielded an ice-type zanpakuto, the strongest on no less. He shook his head, Rukia also wielded an ice-type. He had a feeling that her lips would be soft and warm, unlike her brothers.

Toshiro was attractive, he'd give the small captain that much. Ichigo had often found himself staring at the young captain's lips. He didn't know why, maybe it was just the fascination of how the captain could speak without revealing his inner thoughts in his voice.

Enyo pulled back. "Thinking of someone else? Ah well, it did what it was suppose to. It scattered your thoughts so its harder to resist."

Ichigo was just zoning back in when she finished her statement, he had been lost in his thoughts of the white haired captain and hadn't realized that Enyo had been speaking. He ribbons glowed and he felt his mind get cloudy and his body go slack.

Ichigo wasn't sure what was going on. He felt his eyes closing on their own accord. Once they were fully shut, he fell through someplace and ended up in his inner world. He was near the spot where he had been the last time he visited. Only this time there was a woman with him. On closer inspection he saw that it was Enyo. She was wearing a one strapped dress that was entirely silver, it made her look even more like a goddess.

She looked around slightly amused. "Skyscrapers, interesting."

The beautiful woman turned her gaze towards him. She lifted her hand, and splayed the fingers, some sort of wave shot out of them. Ichigo turned to see what it was she had seen. To his surprise he saw Zangetsu and Hichigo frozen mid stride.

"So these are the ones impending my process?" She chuckled. "My, my. What weaklings."

Hichigo attempted to glare, and succeeded but it had no effect on the female.

"Your good hollow? Good weakens the soul." Enyo looked meaningfully at Ichigo. "Your soul is weak but your power great. You are a contradiction."

Ichigo settled for looking at her harshly. She waved her hand. She looked at her hand and saw that she was fading. She strengthened her presence in this inner world. _He's using whatever strength he has left to kick me out. No matter. _

She remained standing firm tilting her head inquisitively. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Ichigo gave her a sharp nod. She was bewildered by how his eyes had returned to their light color, and how confident, and unafraid he seemed. She let out a chiming laugh. "You think because we are in your inner world I cannot harm you? That you own the playing field?"

"No. I just know I can beat you." The teen said confidently.

She rolled her eyes. "You know you can beat me? You cannot even grasp my power. Think before you speak or you'll only end up like one of those meatheads that call themselves a squad."

Ichigo glowered. He reached for Zangetsu but he found that it wasn't there. "What?"

"I removed it." Enyo spoke lightly. "Fighting is such a terrible business."

Enyo was getting fed up with the chatter. She wouldn't be able to maintain her presence much longer. She lifted both of her hands. The two of them were transported into a black and white area.

Enyo gritted her teeth she needed to get further into the teen's mind. She did the same motion again and they were further. She summoned her bankai. She kept one hand raised, she was dragging him to the small pinpoint of light that was ahead of her.

No matter how many times she saw this, it was still breathtaking. They were actually seeing the soul itself. She increased her pace tugging her captive along. She nearly stumbled over a crack. She arched an eyebrow.

_He was breaking after all. _She thought. She glanced at the teen, his jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. She wondered what the person saw when they looked at their soul. She tugged on the invisible rope. As the drew close she saw that the soul was one of the biggest ones she had ever encountered.

It was situated in a chasm. When she looked down she saw that it was endless. She continued yanking on the rope drawing the carrot top closer. He was starting to resist but it was futile, she was currently queen of this world.

This would be the point where would see whether or not they would get an ally or he would go comatose. If he didn't beg for her not to throw him in the pit she would do it without hesitation, but this would be the first time that it happened that she had to throw them in the pit herself.

Ichigo's strength was waning. He couldn't guess the reason. But he was sure it had something to do with the large sphere in front of him. Without knowing how he knew it but he was certain it was his soul.

It was a stunning view. It was a large white mass of something, with blue laced into it. A white band was orbiting around it. This band wasn't smooth like his soul was, it was rough and had an entirely different feeling to it. He was sure it didn't belong to his soul, it felt familiar, but it was something that he had give permission to reside here. He was reminded of a dragon guarding something precious to it.

It jumped out towards him when he thought it. Like it was welcoming him home. Enyo tugged the invisible bindings and he slid foreword an inch. The band was cooler than his soul as well.

He just couldn't place why it was so familiar to him. He was firm in his belief that it was something important to him. He struggled against the bindings. He wanted to stay here until he figured that band out but Enyo tugged once again and he lost his footing putting him a lot closer to the edge than he would've liked.

Enyo grunted as she yanked on his once more, his lead foot slid over the pit. Enyo stood behind him, a strange glint in her eyes. It was a darkness that he knew was save only for the truly cruel.

"Beauty is pain." She muttered. "Your soul is beautiful, pure, and its causing me pain to know that something like this exists."

She glanced up at his soul. She knew what the band was that was circling it, and it might've been a problem if anyone knew where the teen was at and they rescued him. With a long intake for breath she steeled herself even more. "You've been a royal pain."

With that she shoved him into the pit. He had nothing to stop himself with and was sent tumbling down into the pit. He heard the girl mutter

"Borei Charonta sas kathodigsei."

He didn't know what that meant but it sounded final whatever it was. She vanished and he was falling into the darkness, literally. The air was rushing by him, his hair flying upward. It felt like his fall was slow, he had entered some form of euphoric state. The white band was streaking after him.

Ichigo knew it wasn't going to make it. His eyes were gradually closing the deeper he went into the pit. The fall was long, he had now way of knowing how far he had traveled, but his eyes closed completely. Something wrapped around him but he was feeling a sense of peace that he hadn't felt before and chose to ignore it.

_In the physical world _

Enyo opened her eyes. Ichigo's face was in a state of absolute bliss. She stood up. Groaning as she saw her dress had been ruined. She used her zanpakuto, which had returned to is unreleased for, to cut off the soiled part of her skirt. It now reached mid thigh.

She sneered and the motionless, and pale form of Ichigo. She tossed the ruined fabric over him. She walked out of her cell, the full intent to tell her king what had happened but he was walking in the hallway just as she emerged from the cell hallway.

He sent her a curious glance. She bowed deeply before launching into her explanation. "He was going to die, infection was spreading, he was losing blood that he couldn't afford to, his organs were beginning to fail. He was convulsing because he no longer had the energy to function. His body was using what it didn't have, which ended up harming itself."

Sachio nodded. "And?"

"It was a matter of hours sir. I used my bankai and came into contact with him and tried to summon the evil side of his hollow to avail. He fell into the pit where the soul is housed. He's in the furthest recesses of his mind. I can no longer reach him. He's comatose. I do not know if he'll come out of it."

"Pity." Sachio sighed. "Oh well. We planned incase something happened to him in the first place. We just move change that part of the plan with plan B."

Enyo nodded and bowed once more. Her king dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Just as she was heading to her wing she heard her king call. "Short dresses suit you!"

She rolled her eyes and blushed but said nothing in return. She continue down the hallway.

Sachio watched the alluring woman as she walked away. His eyes got a sinister gleam in them. _Well its your plan B. I was planning to never even use the hollow. I just wanted him gone._

He walked to his throne room. A largely pronounce bounce in his step and a happy smile on his face. All according to plan.

**Here we are at the bottom I hoped this chapter was fuffiling enough until my next update. I do hope you tell me your thoughts. I'm off to write something or other! Later! ~IF**


	10. Compiling Information

**Just so you all know I love you, I thought I'd tell you that before you all kill me because I left you with a cliffhanger and now am ignoring what happened. I'm sorry! *hides* Yay~! Thank you to Yashiru Kusajishi, Phantom Claire, Elvenlaughter, urufushinigami, and AngryHitsu for you lovely reviews. Lets get on with this yes? **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEAH. I OWN THIS PLOT AND MY OCS!**

Toshiro was sleeping fitfully. He was tossing and turning, something he never did. There was a sense of uneasiness that had settled in his stomach. He hadn't been able to get rid of it. When it first came it had made him nauseous and he lost his appetite. He had gone straight back to Ichigo's room.

He had figured that just resting would get rid of the feeling but it remained. He felt like he had just drifted off when something gripped at his heart. It took him a few seconds to realize it was fear. He couldn't make head nor tails of what he was afraid of. Was it just worry over Ichigo? But then that prompted the question about why he'd be so worried over Ichigo he wouldn't eat.

Something was humming at the back of his head, it was odd a first but then he realized that he didn't mind it so much. It was comforting in an odd little way. There was a wave of nostalgia that passed over him, but he didn't know why.

Toshiro tilted his head to the side. Just as he was getting used to the humming in the back of his head he felt Ichigo's reiatsu surge suddenly and then plummet dangerously. He sat up straighter, the humming had gone away as well. He was wide eyed searching for something anything to calm him down.

Not really caring that this would be considered odd he rushed over to Ichigo's dresser, he was in nothing but a tank top and boxers, it was hot outside to him. He opened a draw and grabbed he first thing he could.

It was a long sleeve button up shirt, it was a flannel material and her would probably be melting in it but he didn't care. He stuck his arms through the sleeves, not surprised they were a few inches longer than his arms. It also hung halfway down his boxers. Despite it being to big for him, he was calmed down slightly. The shirt still had the scent of Ichigo clinging tightly, it also felt warmer than it should've.

Its like being hugged by him. Toshiro smiled, then he caught himself. How would he know how hugs from the substitute shinigami would feel? He hadn't ever been hugged by the teen. He thought back to the time when he had defected from soul society and gotten badly hurt, Ichigo had to carry him, but he was aware at the time so that shouldn't even count.

He was calmer but he was even more confused. He climbed back on Ichigo's bed. He was able to get comfortable fairly quickly, and he was even getting drowsy. But he still knew that something had happened to Ichigo- Kurosaki! What he wasn't sure but he knew that it couldn't be good.

Snuggling into the pillow and pulling the shirt tighter around him he fell into a slightly more restful sleep. He felt like Ichigo was behind him, he could imagine how it would feel to have the carrot top pressed against him, cuddling into him. He was perhaps the most content that Toshiro had ever felt. Though he wasn't sure how this calmed him down, he would take it.

Urahara was a man who was known to stay up for days on end trying to solve a problem. Yet his problem seemed to not want to be solved. He was once again reading over the wavelength for the passage way. He'd been staring at the screen for two days straight.

The "Demon Cell" had come through the dangai like regular shinigami, but from what he was reading they were walking above it. He wasn't sure how, and without much more research he wouldn't be able to get the group there.

He had stolen the research done by the twelfth squad but it had been for naught. It had all been random scans, nothing he didn't already have. He needed exact locations on the anomaly in order to start planning the gateway. He heaved a sigh and Tessai came into refill his coffee mug but said nothing else as he left the room.

The bulky man passed the purple haired woman as she walked into Urahara's computer room. She knitted her brow. Stealthily she approached the area behind him. She leaned on one of his shoulders.

"Nothing?" She whispered quietly.

"Nope." Urahara groaned. "I haven't made a shred of progress."

Yoruichi shrugged. "Can't expect anything right away."

The man rubbed his eyes. "No. But I need things right away."

"Go to sleep. Maybe you'll think of something in the morning." The cat-woman prodded gently.

"Can't. What I need is the position. I can't just think of something."

She rolled her eyes. "You need rest. Regardless."

"Nothing short of a miracle or searching the entirety of Hueco Mundo is going to get me anywhere!"

Both ex-captains looked at each other. All sounds faded away into a dull murmur. Urahara's face grew into a large grin. Yoruichi stared blankly at him, unsure of what he was plotting. She arched an eyebrow.

"That's it! I've got it." Urahara cheered.

Yoruichi crossed her arms and watched the man celebrate. "That's great, because I don't."

Urahara calmed himself but he still had a small grin on his face. "Searching Hueco Mundo, top to bottom."

"Won't that take ages?" The flash-goddess tilted her head.

"Normally yes. But I can create a device that will be attuned to the reiatsu anomaly, and getting somewhere high will be able to get them in the general direction then they can go that way."

Yoruichi was finally starting to catch on. "So you'll send them to Hueco Mundo to find the anomaly from the outside, then bring them back. Then we enter using the front door?"

Urahara nodded. "I don't know how long it will take for them to find the outside of it, so I'll equip them with badges that let me know when they want back."

Urahara turned around he was about to begin messing with tools and things mumbling to himself. Before he was completely lost to the world Yoruichi grabbed him. "Bed. Now."

He started to protest but saw the look in her eye and thought better of it. He slowly got up. The former captain grabbed onto the genius' arm and lead him to his room. She was used to doing things like this all the time.

"Thanks." Urahara mumbled once they reached his bedroom. "Where would I be without you?"

"Dead in a ditch." She deadpanned.

Urahara scratched the back of his head. "Probably."

She bade him a good night as he started to head to her room. She couldn't believe how dense the man was for a genius. She was dropping hints, some small others as bright as day. She was running towards a cliff with no one to catch her.

Urahara watched as his former captain and long time friend walked down the hallway. He wondered if she would ever catch the drift that he wanted to be more than friends. But she was called the flash-goddess for a reason. She was to fast for him to catch her.

He walked into his room, to get ready for bed.

The premiers were gathering in the throne room. All were standing around, some were looking around, others were staring straight ahead. The doors in the back swung open. Sachio walked into the throne room. All premiers suddenly stood at attention.

The king walked until he was standing at the head of the circle. A few premiers risked glancing at him to see what mood he was in. They had all heard of what happened to the substitute shinigami, the king had been merciful and moved him into the cell he had been in when he was first stayed.

Sachio was in a good mood and seeing his followers stand to attention when he had entered made his mood lighten even more so. He waited a few minutes, making sure he had their full attention before he spoke, he didn't like to repeat himself.

"We're proceeding with the plan ahead of schedule. We should be able to put our plan into action a month before we previously thought."

The reaction of the premiers varied. Some looked pleased, some looked surprised, and others didn't appear to care either way. Sachio shrugged, he hadn't been expecting an uproar, his premiers were better trained than that. He kept his smile plastered on his face.

"The only hiccups we have had thus far is the shinigami that are snooping around and have confirmed our existence. The other one was losing the ability to use Ichigo Kurosaki, we'll put plan B into action."

Everyone looked at the two captains in charge of those parts of the plan. Yuna looked slightly abashed but still stood confidently. Enyo however did nothing to betray her thoughts, she remained looking as elegant as usual.

Masao spoke up. "Milord, shouldn't we continue with the original date? If we have to replace part one of our plan then that should set us back."

"Normally yes, but those who were part of this plan were to be working on plan B in a case such as this. There was no way to guarantee that Kurosaki would live, or even be of use once we got what we wanted from him."

Masao quieted down now that his question was answered. "Of course milord would plan of something such as this."

Sachio ignore the comment, it should've been obvious that he would have a plan for this. They had been planning this for so long it'd be a tragedy for it to fail. The premiers would perform without a flaw, and nobody should forget what they were doing, this would be a performance of a life time.

With the main business they began talking about the overall running of the Neo-Gotei, Yuna had replace those she lost. She wasn't entirely pleased about it but she said she'd deal with it. Tadashi was complaining that his squad was fighting with each other far to often, to which Enyo made a snide comment and those to got into a heated argument.

Sachio didn't want to hear the bickering of children dismissed them. They filed out.

Just like when I was a captain. They all bickered and ignored any side plots presented to them.

He turned and walked to his office, he still had paperwork to do. He would not be the leader of some ragtag band of rebels. Aizen thought that he had planned for everything, when he hadn't done his research thoroughly. He had a small army of people that were only powerful alone, but together they were nothing more than infants squabbling amongst themselves, Aizen didn't have that much power, he was the person they called leader in name but nothing else.

Aizen was but a whelp, but a useful whelp. He was able to see the captains at their strongest and he didn't even have to get his hands dirty. His premiers knew what to expect, and so far Enyo and Yuna's shikai had been revealed, nothing more than that. He thought that he was doing pretty good on keeping the shinigami in the dark. They had no idea that this military force even existed, until he sent his advance force to retrieve the substitute shinigami.

He sat smugly behind his desk and read a few reports. He felt like it was best to get his troops used to what it was like in the Gotei 13. They were going to become the new one protection squad. He leaned back, reading a report. It was written by one of the premiers he had in one of the squads in Soul Society. Their part of the invasion was complete and were awaiting further orders. The one thing that puzzled him, was they said that Isshin Shiba was dead, but there was no doubt that the now comatose teen was his son, he had seen the former captain, his subordinate, battling Aizen.

After he invaded Soul Society, his first goal was to capture Isshin and kill him. His face broke out into a pointed grin as he thought about plunging his blade into the man and feeling as his heart stopped.

_One week later; 16 days since Kurosaki was kidnapped. _

Urahara had been holed away in what the six shinigami figured was his lab. Toshiro had been growing increasingly restless. The team was aware of it. He would spend minutes at a time pacing wherever he happened to be. Renji had watched him one day and he did it about fourteen times periodically. The others would ignore it or watch it.

Truth be told they were all aching for something to do. It had been 16 days since Ichigo had gotten kidnapped. Rangiku was the only one Toshiro would talk to, and not look like he was going to kill the next thing that breathed. Renji and Rukia had taken to searching on their own time, anything would be worth something.

Ikkaku and Yumichika disappeared the entire day and returned at dinner time. Nobody questioned them. All of the officers were wasting time as they waited for Urahara to finish whatever project he was working on, it was, according to Yoruichi, something that would help them find Ichigo.

Toshiro remembered when she said that a week ago.

The group was moping around the candy store. Nothing had happened since the conversation they had yesterday. Toshiro, Rangiku, Rukia, and Renji were all standing around in the training ground watching the two eleventh squad members spar with each other, if the ferocity they were fighting at could be called a spar. Ikkaku and Yumichika showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The flash-goddess climbed down the ladder, jumping from the last few steps. She strode over to the four. Her face showed interest in the spar, but Toshiro could tell her mind was elsewhere, he had seen this face on several captains and he himself was using it more often these days.

When she reached them. She acted like she was only present to watch the spar, but she cleared her throat after awhile. "If you two can stop your killing each other, can you come over here?"

Toshiro was surprised at how much authority was in her tone, then again she was Soi Fon's former captain so there must be some form of authority within her. Though she liked to listen to Urahara's plans and followed his orders, albeit in her own way.

The two males joined the others. They both were panting, Ikkaku wasn't taking any care to disguise it like his partner was. Yumichika was trying to even out his breathing.

Rukia cocked an eyebrow at the cat. "So, what is it you have to tell us."

Yoruichi shrugged. "I think he's found a way that he can locate the extra space in Hueco Mundo."

"Meaning?" Yumichika guided.

Yoruichi looked disinterested, she was pleased that they had a way to find the space. She had no doubt that Urahara would be able to get them there once he knew everything. "We should be able to enter the space once we find it."

She only had to wait a few seconds before Toshiro's eyes lit up in understanding. "That means we can find Ichigo!"

The others stared for a second before most of them broke out into wide grins. Rukia and Rangiku's being the biggest. Renji and Ikkaku's were closer to smirks, and Yumichika had a pleasant smile on his face. Toshiro had an almost smile and an odd look in his eyes.

"How?" Renji asked.

"I don't know everything yet." The purple-haired woman shrugged. "I just know that much."

The group was in considerably higher spirits afterward. The good mood had been evident to every one that was within the candy shop. It lasted for a whole two days before the spirits started to droop with the lack of progress.

The icy captain hadn't felt that humming since the night seven days ago. He had done his own bit of research in the past few days. Taking advantage of the older copies of Soul Society history books that Urahara had, he noticed that the older a piece of history got the less was written about it.

He had scanned the books for anything that would resemble his situation. He had even asked his Vice-Captain, who had been a shinigami longer, and she was clueless. She said she'd check up on it, but so far the duo hadn't found anything.

Renji was complaining about something, and Rukia was looking steadily more annoyed with whatever it was the red-head was saying. She hated the waiting just as much as Toshiro. She hadn't even drawn any of the bunnies Ichigo used to complain about.

The petite shinigami had been struck the hardest of all those who knew about the abduction. Ichigo had been her charge, she was the one who brought him into this world. She blinked rephrasing that sentence, she was the one who introduced him into the world of shinigami. What made it worse was she was actually do to report into Karakura town in a month.

If Neo-Gotei had held off the attack a little longer, until I got there... Would I have been able to save him?

She had thought the same thing over and over. Reaching the same conclusion every time, she would've been killed. There was no way she'd be able to fight the premiers, more than one at a time at least, like Ichigo. She could barely handle the third seat. Not to mention the other leaders, and their powers. They hadn't even reached the extent of Yuna's power.

She watched her commanding officer. There was something about him that was making Rukia wonder. He was way too involved in the mission, emotionally. The prodigy was known for being emotionally challenged, but seeing him react in the ways he was. It was interesting to her. She had expected the captain to hide any emotional response.

She had tuned out the red-head beside her. Being one of her closest friends, and a good friend of Ichigo, she knew Renji was seething on the inside. She knew because they were close friends and the fact he was way more animated when he talked.

She zoned back into the conversation. Toshiro had an odd face, out of curiosity, she stealthily snuck next to the captain. Rangiku and Renji were talking about sake or something and it was easily.

The ice-wielding captain gave her a raised eyebrow. Clearly asking what the other ice-wielder was doing. Rukia shrugged. She was waiting to make sure the other vice-captains were engaged in a conversation before she would speak.

She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. How would she best phrase her statement. Taking a page from her tactless friends, also known as Ichigo and Renji, and spoke bluntly. "Do you care about Ichigo?"

The young captain looked taken aback. He was left gapping trying to think of a response. "How do you mean?"

"I mean, there is something about Ichigo that you are drawn to. You've never acted like this before. You're involved with the mission."

"I always am." Toshiro grunted.

Rukia shook her head. "That's not what I meant. You've never been one to get emotional about a mission before. I know this from working with you and hearing people talk."

"And?"

"I want to know why." The raven hair girl crossed her arms.

Toshiro stared at the girl incredulous that she saw through him so easily. Then again she must be feeling something similar to him. He hadn't put a name on it however. But he would find that orange-haired teen, even if it killed him.

Rukia watched the emotions flicker through the young captain's eyes. She smiled dimly her theory was correct. She thought about it however. Ichigo somehow always formed strong bonds with anyone who got to know him. It was an interesting thing to watch. He'd die for someone he barely knew. He had a pure soul, and that might be why she had met him.

He was destined for something beyond that of what a human was capable. He'd saved the world, isn't that proof enough, slowly but surely, he had started to change the strict thinking of the Gotei. A few of the captains started to lower themselves and not hold themselves so high, after being humbled by a human.

Thinking about Ichigo only made her morose. She shook her head, she needed to focus on preparing herself for the next skirmish with the Neo-Gotei. She hoped that Urahara finished whatever project he was working on, and soon. The longer they wait the more danger Ichigo would be in. Also the more danger Soul Society would be in. They had reported the skirmish to the captains. Most of the away squad looked awkward and weren't looking at the screen. They now had the task of finding out whatever they could about the Neo-Gotei so they could start preparing. The captains were the only ones who knew the entire story, the head-captain had ordered it so.

Outside it began to rain and Rukia glanced out of the window. Her face was unreadable, she was worried and infuriated at the same time.

_Don't worry Ichigo. We'll save you for once. _

**At least I gave you a cute Toshiro? Like I'm said I'm sorry! But Ichigo got two whole chapters and these guys were feeling abandoned? I'll get back to our favorite carrot top next chapter I swear! Wait if kill me I won't be able to finish the story! Ha! Later! ~IF**


	11. Of Dreams and Devices

**I'm not dead. Sorry for not updating for a while. But hey, vacation called and I went. Philadelphia was nice, if anyone was wondering. So regardless here's my update, I wrote it on the way to Philadelphia and typed it up when I got home. Hope you enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND MY OWN CHARACTERS**

* * *

Ichigo was somewhere, he wasn't entirely sure about it. He looked around, it was a snowstorm, but it looked like it was in his inner world. He couldn't figure it out, and he couldn't sense Zangetsu or Hichigo. It was disconcerting. He wandered around but everything looked the same. He was chilled. Unfortunately there was no place that he could go to get out of the snowstorm.

Most of the time when he got tired he would get as close to the bottom of the skyscraper that he could, it provided some cover, so he wasn't completely being pelted by snow. But when he started to sleep he would get strange dreams. But they didn't seem so much dreams, but more of repressed memories.

Yet he didn't know who any of these people were. They were all living different lives, but he knew them. There would always be two that would get together. One had his amber eyes and the other was a turquoise looking color. That did not change, so he had a feeling that they were all connected somehow.

He shook his head. It'd do him no good to dwell on things that his mind created. He needed to figure out a way to leave this place. Ichigo felt like he was going in circles. The snowstorm would cover his tracks and he wouldn't know where he had been and where he hadn't. Everything looked the same. He blew air out of his nose.

He wasn't tired but he also didn't want to push himself. He was sitting in one of the random areas that was sheltered. They were few and far between and he would lose them once he moved on. It got annoying, but at least this way he'd be protected for the night. He curled into himself, a habit he had gotten into. He was sure that it had something to do with how often he had curled in that position to protect him from pain when he had been beaten.

His mind was somewhere between being awake and being asleep. He thought about when Enyo pushed him into the pit. The band had chased after him, he didn't know if it caught him or not. He didn't think it caught him because he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be in this endless world if it did. He still thought about how it felt, and how it was familiar.

The band was colder than his soul, but it was more of a protective coolness instead of a bitter one such as this snowstorm. It had reiatsu, he figured there was no other way for it to be circling his soul like it was. It seemed to have its own nature, stubborn yet friendly, selfish and sacrificing. It had several others, and most of them were contradictions. He shook his head. He needed to know how it was familiar to him. He felt like he _knew _it and _knows _it all at the same time. Like an old friend that you hadn't seen for ages but then wrote to everyday. He couldn't find the word for the oddity.

He closed his eyes fully, but tonight sleep was hard to come by. His thoughts were jumping from place to place. From his friends to his family and back. he wondered how his disappearance would be explained. He missed his little sisters, he desperately hoped that his friends didn't tell his family about how he vanished but that he just did. Yuzu would be in hysterics if she knew what had happened, and Karin would try to calm her while worrying herself.

His dad was another interesting problem. If his father found out, what would he do. He was a former _captain _after all. Something he had yet to get the full story on by he didn't care, well he did but he'd wait until his father told him. Surely his father wouldn't be so stupid to leave his daughters alone and go after him. He was able to take care of himself. He smiled grimly as he thought of the past however long he was captive, he wasn't taking care of himself then.

Ichigo wondered if his friends were even still alive. He knew Yuna had gone to the world of the living and she was hinting at deaths that occurred but he wasn't sure. He desperately hoped that it wasn't Rukia, Renji, or Toshiro. His train of thought stopped. He didn't want anyone to die on his behalf but why was Ichigo one of his tops to think about not dying? He couldn't really place the tightness he got in his heart when he remembered one of his dreams he had in captivity.

They all started the same way. He had whoever the dream was about was walking next to him. The one of the five would show up and attack him and the other person. Ichigo would find himself unable to attack as he was rooted to the spot in fear. The other person would jump and fight to protect him but the captor would be to strong and end up killing Ichigo's dream companion.

Against his will his mind drifted to the dream he had about Toshiro, who was, oddly enough, the only person that he dreamed about in this situation more than once.

* * *

_Ichigo and Toshiro were walking around in some random field. They were silent but the silence wasn't strained it was companionable. The two young shinigami would occasionally bump hands but both were to inexperienced too do something about it. They stopped in the middle of the field, no particular reason except for that it felt weird. _

_Suddenly a strong reiatsu flared up behind them. The two teenagers spun around to face whoever it was. Ichigo felt himself freeze in fear, this time not due to Yuna's axe. He had thought he had gotten away from them. Yet standing in all of her 5' 6'' glory was Yuna, she looked bored and she was swinging her sword around to give her something to do. _

_She tilted her head towards him. Her russet gaze met the amber one of Ichigo. She smiled cruelly and leapt into strike him down where he stood. Ichigo wasn't able to defend himself, he was too afraid to incase of what she could do to him if she ended up capturing him once more. He was scarcely breathing. Toshiro watched him to see if he would defend himself. Yuna was drawing closer, in a split second decision the white haired boy jumped in front of Ichigo brandishing his blade. _

_The two battled it out, each landing their own strikes. Both had several minor wounds on them. It was a fierce battle. Ichigo couldn't figure out why the young captain looked so angry, the turquoise flashed with something Ichigo could only describe as vengeance but the permanent gleam in the eyes screamed protectiveness. Ichigo felt something warm inside of him. _

_He watched as Yuna got in a particularly lucky strike that sent the tenth's captain flying. The orange haired teen watched with bated breath. Thankfully Toshiro seemed to not be that injured. Yuna took advantage of both of the teen's distractedness. She appeared next to Ichigo holding her sword to his throat. Toshiro got up looking vicious. He glared at Yuna, the captive she had in her arms decided that if looks could kill she'd already be dead. A chuckled bubbled through her lips. _

"_Release him!" Toshiro growled. "He's got nothing to do with our fight." _

_Yuna paused inclining her head and chewing her lip. "He's got nothing to do with it? He's got everything to do with it. Without him we would have never met. A tragedy itself." _

_Toshiro remained defiant. Yuna pouted a long sigh drawn out of her. " Honestly. Set your blade down and then we'll talk. That way I won't her your pet." _

_She pushed the blade into his throat. A thin line of blood started to trickle down his next, staining his shirt. He saw something snap inside of Toshiro his face went from furious to grim in a matter of seconds. The captain straightened himself. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized what the young captain was about to do. He wanted to scream at Toshiro that he would be fine, to not do it, or don't do anything reckless his life didn't mean anything. But the word were frozen in his throat. Even swallowing he felt the blade pierce his throat deeper. _

_The white haired captain dug the tip of his blade into the dirt. Ichigo felt Yuna's face stretch out into a grin. She shoved the substitute shinigami to the side and the teen was sprawled out into the dirt. She lunged towards the defenseless captain. Ichigo was praying that the captain would do something, use kido at the very least. But there was a fire in the captain that he hadn't seen. _

_Yuna plunged her blade into the captain's torso, pushing in until the hilt was touching Toshiro's body and the tip of the blade was through the other side. This time Ichigo did scream. Whatever fear he had evaporated when he watched the blood of Toshiro stain the grass. The teen summoned Zangetsu and sent perhaps his strongest getsuga tensho yet. The ex-shinigami didn't have time to react as the wave came at her at a blinding speed. _

_Ichigo couldn't care less about what happened to the blue haired shinigami and bolted over to the all to still form of Toshiro. The captain was still alive thankfully. Ichigo applied pressure to the bleeding wound but both know that it was a mute point to do so. Ichigo just needed to try. _

_Toshiro watched the frantic teen above him. His amber eyes filled his panic and other things he couldn't bother about deciphering. It was just the look that was in Ichigo's eyes. At the moment Toshiro was certain that the only two people in the world were him and Ichigo. _

_The icy captain raised a pale hand and set it on top of Ichigo's slightly tanned one. Ichigo stopped whatever it was he was doing and stared at the captain, confused. Toshiro sent him a smile, Ichigo's breath caught in his throat. Then the captain went slack, the turquoise eyes were closing, and finally they closed. _

_Ichigo screamed in grief, unwanted tears sprung to his eyes. He clutched the cooling body to his chest not caring that he was getting even more bloody. He continued to sob uncontrollably, he hadn't cried this hard since his mother died. The feeling in his heart was similar to what it had felt when his mother died. He let a howl of grief. The sky had clouded over and he saw tiny flakes of snow start to fall. _

* * *

Ichigo awoke slowly. He lifted his hand to his face and felt the wetness there. He was crying at the memory of the dream. It was incredibly sappy of him and he wondered when he had become a sappy person. He never was before. He shrugged. Standing up he looked around and saw that the snow storm was blowing just the same as it was before he had fallen asleep.

Drying his eyes, he waited a few more minutes, waiting to see if the snowstorm died down any, which it didn't. He was loathe to leave the small shelter but he needed to find away out of this place. He wished that it wasn't alone, that he had someone to talk to, even if it was his hollow half, it be more welcoming that the whistling of the wind as his only companion. He took of in a direction, he was pretty sure he had never come this way. He pulled himself tighter around himself in order to shield out the cold.

He trudged his way through the foot of snow, it was bizarre that no matter how much it snowed that the buildup was never more than a foot. From this he assumed that it was an unnatural place. Though he could've assumed if because he fell through the pit his soul was hanging over. He shook out the snow that was landing in his hair, it did him no good but it was something other than trudging around someplace that he had no idea where he was going.

The snow blew fiercer all of the sudden, knocking the orange-haired teen off of his feet and sending him toppled over on the ground. He looked around, trying to spot if anything would've caused the wind to shift so violently. Naturally there was nothing. Ichigo continued to look in the distance a while longer, there was a feeling nostalgia. He felt like there should be someone emerging from the cold.

Who the person was he didn't know but he had the feeling that the person would come bursting out of the snow and hold onto him like his life depended on him. He didn't see a complete face but he knew that the figure should have turquoise eyes. It was another one of those things he knew without knowing. He ponder on those eyes however, there was only one person he knew with eyes that color. Toshiro.

Ichigo's eyebrow arched. Maybe he was brain was using the power of suggestion because he knew that the young captain was an ice wielder. Ichigo nodded in satisfaction, that seemed to be the most logical thing in this situation. Well, its the only logical thing. His brain supplied.

He told his brain to shut up and started walking once more. It was a lot colder since he had fallen in the snow and his Shihakushō was soaking wet. He dried to dust off what snow he could to keep himself from getting anymore wetter and retain what little body heat he had left. His feet were frozen, but surprisingly that's all they were, there was no signs of frostbite which he should have be now. Not that he was complaining, he just wished he could figure out where he was.

He thought that several more hours had passed when he felt himself get tired. His feet hurt from walking all day and he was still freezing. He would need to find a shelter soon otherwise he'd be colder and more miserable tomorrow than he was today. He glanced around once more, nothing within his sights he could see. He would continue on however, he still had some energy left so he would expend it before turning in for the night.

Some time later Ichigo was panting heavily, he still hadn't found a shelter for the night and walking around was starting to take its toll on him. He gritted his teeth and pressed on. His legs were sore from being used some much in such a short time. They were feeling like heavy blocks of lead. Sighing the young teenager started to dig himself an alcove. He built it so that the raised area would be against wind giving him protection from it. It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping arrangements, but at least it was better than sleeping with no shelter.

The young teenager curled up into a ball, it was warmer than if he laid spread eagle and he hadn't been able to break that habit as of yet. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him. There were two things that he liked about the situation. One of them was he had time to think without being interrupted something he was finding he needed and he wasn't around other people. Zangetsu and Hichigo didn't count, they were technically a part of them. He knew they wouldn't hurt him, his good hollow seemed to not want to kill him last time he met him and Zangetsu, he never tried to truly hurt the young shinigami.

* * *

Toshiro was pacing. He was told that Urahara had an announcement and had called the group of shinigami together. It was officially 17 days since Ichigo was missing and the icy captain was getting antsier by the day. The others could tell it as well, and they were all anxious to see what Urahara had been working on.

Urahara walked into the room Yoruichi following behind him, both looked a lot more relaxed, seemed the most fitting words. Urahara carried a box in his hands. The shinigami stilled and watched as he set the box down on the table. There was a silence that engulfed the entirety of the room, waiting to see what Urahara's box had in it.

After a few moments, allowing the tension to build, Urahara opened the box. Inside of it where six cell phones. The shinigami crowded around it, they all wore differing faces of confusion.

Urahara shrugged to the woman beside him, he figured that he would have to explain it anyway, so it wasn't a disappointment that that the group were utterly confused. He took a step foreward and removed one from the box.

"This." He shook the phone in his hand. "Is our way of finding Ichigo."

The shinigami suddenly perked. The looked at the phones with awe and a lingering trace of confusion. Yoruichi sniggered at their faces, conveniently forgetting that she had been at a lost about the phone not twenty minutes ago.

"This phones are tapped into the wave-length of the anomaly in Hueco Mundo. All you have to do is reach the highest points in Hueco Mundo and you should be able to find it from there. You'll get right on top of the anomaly and then you'll return back." Urahara explained.

"From there I'll build a portal to get you into our enemy's base of operation, where they more than likely have Ichigo. Any other objectives will be decided by Captain Hitsugaya or Head-Captain Yamamoto." The candy store owner concluded.

Renji scoffed slightly. "You make it sound easy."

"The mission itself is easy, but its whatever obstacles you encounter on your way." Yoruichi said gravely.

Everyone looked at the young captain who was holding a phone in his hand, evaluating it. He looked straight at the former captain. A fire burning in his normally cold eyes. "How do these things work?"

Urahara smiled, all too happy to explain his devices to the group.

* * *

**Yikes, short chapter I know... :( I just wasn't sure where to leave off and this seems to be the best way. I'll make it up to you by writing chapter 12 quickly and updating it. **

**So anyway~ Leave your thoughts below and all that jazz. Its starting to get interesting, ne? Whelp, I'm off to the land of writing chapter 12. Later! ~IF**


	12. Old Friends and Hollow Gods

**Hello all my faithful readers! I feel like this update is really late, and the fact that I haven't worked on anything in a long time, opps. Well I'm back on the saddle after a short break! Thanks to Kage Kurai, ctofi1, Phantom Claire, AngryHitsu, and Mer-mer for reviewing! Your reviews are what make me want to right more. Well time for the long awaited chapter 12. I hope you like it. Disclaimer time ~!**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH I ONLY OWN THE ORIGNIAL CHARACTERS AND THE PLOT!**

* * *

Urahara's explanation was brief. They worked as phones, but only to each others and all you had to do was press the camera button and it would start scanning. The waves would turn blue if there was a match in the area. It was actually pretty simple, Toshiro was impressed.

Urahara and Yoruichi made their excuses of going to get the garganta ready for travel. Their departure was barely noticed. All eyes shifted towards the young shinigami captain. Toshiro was thoughtful.

"I know our primary mission is to find and save Kurosaki, but I think for the sake of the Gotei we need to investigate this Neo-Gotei. See what we can find about them and if they had any immediate plans. Or just to learn their names so we aren't fighting them blind."

The other shinigami nodded their assent. The two eleventh members weren't entirely sure what the captain could gain from learning about his enemies, to them it seemed like it'd be more beneficial to kill whoever they were before they could do any damage. But they'd go along with it, Hueco Mundo was the world of hollows after all.

After their short meeting the group headed towards the underground training area. Urahara was just finishing the garganta he turned around and nodded towards the group. As Toshiro grew closer to the garganta he felt himself bubble with excitement, the fact that he would be able to do something constantly instead of waiting around sporadically doing something. The others seemed to be of the same mind.

Urahara gave instructions on how to navigate the garganta, even though Renji and Rukia had gone through the garganta previously. Urahara was worried about the other members. He kept stressing that because he had never sent this large of reiatsu through the portal he wasn't sure what would be waiting for them on the other side. Toshiro assured him they would be careful and wouldn't be careless.

Toshiro leapt through the garganta first, then Rangiku, Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika was at the back. Those who hadn't been through the garganta before were looking around in surprise. They hadn't expected to see what they were seeing, instead they thought they would see gruesome figures looming in the blackness. Instead it was just black mixed with random strands or reiatsu appearing at intervals.

Toshiro focused on keeping at strong pathway for the others to run on. His gaze was focused straight ahead into the seemingly endless blackness. With each stride he took towards Hueco Mundo he took, he could hear the humming sound from a few days ago begin once more and it was growing louder. It wasn't Hyourinmaru, the dragon would make a sort of purring sound, this was something completely different. The notion that the dragon spirit might know what the humming was flitted across his mind.

He was surprised to see a bright light ahead of him. The young captain wondered if that was the way out, if so how long had he been thinking about the humming? He looked back and saw Rukia nod at him. He returned his gaze in front of him. The light was growing larger now. A minute or so later and the group emerged into the Menos Forest. Toshiro looked around with amazement. This place was strangely beautiful, large trees stretched towards the tops.

He had heard the stories about the Menos Forest, and the reports from the two vice-captains, but he hadn't thought he would be seeing it in real life. Hueco Mundo tended to be a gray area that Shinigami didn't mess with, unless it was needed. He looked back at Rukia and Renji who were just now emerging. Toshiro motioned for them to come closer, he was sure that Ikkaku and Yumichika wouldn't care much for planning.

"You're the most experienced with Hueco Mundo." Toshiro began. "So where do we go from here."

"We try to avoid the Guardian of the Forest." Renji stated simply.

"The Guardian of the Forest?" Rangiku questioned.

Renji shrugged. "Its clever, its probably setting traps up now for us, so we need to travel carefully."

The prodigy was expecting something similar to having traps set up, he was already planning to go at a careful pace and make sure nothing was over looked. Right now they needed to get to the actual level of Hueco Mundo. Rukia and Renji were the designated leaders for the traveling. Rukia was chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully, trying to recall how they left the first time, she didn't have faith in Renji that he would remember.

Rukia started to walk in a random direction, to the rest at least. "Its to dangerous to shunpo. We might not only run into the Guardian's traps, but we might alert the hollows to our presence if they don't already know we're here."

To finish her statement she gave a harsh look to Renji and Ikkaku, the two that weren't know for their reiatsu suppression control. They shrugged awkwardly, but stayed quiet and followed the petite shinigami. Traveling on foot was taking longer than anyone cared to admit. The further they got into the forest the more debris was on the floor. Toshiro stumbled once and when he looked back to see what made him slip he saw part of a hollow mask. He arched his eyebrow, then he looked ahead and saw that there was more debris ahead that were all parts of hollow masks.

"This wasn't here last time..." Rukia stated uncertainly.

A reiatsu was closing in on them. Toshiro raised his sword, but Rukia threw her arm out to single for him to stop. The young captain lowered it, but didn't sheathe it. The others were also on alert, Renji's face slowly grew into understanding.

Something appeared ahead of them. Toshiro, at first glance thought it was a hollow. With furs covering most of its body, maybe an Adjuchas class. Though when it lifted its hand it looked like that of a regular human or shinigami. On closer inspection there were shinigami robes clothing the front of its body, and the furs were only on the back.

It removed the helmet to show the face of a man. Looking over at the two who had been here before he saw that they weren't surprised. Rukia even looked pleased to see him the man nodded in greeting before he spoke.

"I see that you were able to save the girl and win the winter war." He spoke.

Rukia nodded. "We were."

The two shared some sort of secretive smile. Rukia turned around, seeming to remember that there were others there. "Everyone this is Ashido Kano."

Ashido bowed. Everyone returned the bow, Toshiro sent a questioning glance at Rukia. Who turned to face the older shinigami. "What's happened?"

Ashido shrugged. "The Arrancar were fighting for the throne over Hueco Mundo, their fighting was even brought down here were several hundred low level hollows and Menos Grande."

"A power struggle?" Renji wondered aloud.

Ashido nodded. "Those who've taken refugee in the forest were threatened. A lot of them fled to the human world, others seem to be following a new leadership, I don't know anything more about that."

Rukia was silent for a long while before something appeared to click in her mind. "There were several low level hollow attacks in Karakura town before Ichigo was taken!"

Ashido blinked, confused as to why that was brought up. He sent a questioning look at Rukia, she waved him off. "I'll explain later. But we're short on time, can you lead us to the exit once more?"

"Yeah." Ashido replied. "Follow me."

He took off without another word. The group followed after him, Toshiro took the time to inquire about their guide. "What is he doing here?"

"He and a squad of other shinigami followed a group of hollows through the garganta several hundred years ago. He's been fighting hollows ever since."

"So he's been in Hueco Mundo the entire time?" Rangiku piped up.

Rukia shrugged. "That's what he told me."

There was no need to ask about the other shinigami that went through with Ashido, the answer was there if you looked hard enough. On the bright side it appeared that they seemed to be making better time now. They were navigating through the clearer parts of the forest, and they hadn't seen hide nor tail of a hollow, or anything threatening.

"Why is it so quiet?" Ikkaku asked, he had been expecting a fight and was more than a little disappointed.

Ashido heard the question. "A lot of hollows and higher have gone into hiding, they hardly ever come out now. The arrancar have been devouring hollows attempting to gain more strength. I think the former espada three is in charge."

Toshiro winced. He remembered that espada particularly well. He had thought she was dead, but it seemed that once again he was proven wrong about her. They would have to tread a lot more carefully than they were now, since she was in charge, and would probably have guards out once she found out there were intruders.

"Currently? You mean it could change?" Rukia arched an eyebrow.

"Hueco Mundo has gone through four different leaders in the past 17 and a half months."

Rangiku gasped. "That many?"

"Hollows are ruthless creatures. They fight to gain power, and being the ruler of Hueco Mundo is about as powerful as you can get."

"Naturally." Yumichika suddenly spoke up. "But don't we have to get close to Los Noches?"

"On top of it actually." Renji supplied.

Ashido turned around and sent them looks saying that they were crazy. "Why?"

Rukia stepped foreword, Toshiro crossed his arms in approval. Rukia seemed to have the most history with this man so it'd be best if she handled the interactions the group would have.

"Don't you remember the orange haired teen? He had a big temper and the hero complex to go with it?"

Renji sniggered at Rukia's way of describing Ichigo. Toshiro almost smiled, it was accurate. The teen would deny it, but there would be that spark that says that he knew it as well. Toshiro shook his head, he couldn't imagine why he was thinking about a spark in Ichigo's eyes.

Ashido put a finger on his lips, looking up, trying to recall something. "Oh yeah. Him."

"Well, he was taken hostage by a group of renegades, we're trying to find him. We have devices that in tune with the place where we think he was taken."

"Renegades? Shinigami?"

"We think so. The ones we've encountered so far were."

Ashido had an angry look pass his face before it was neutral once more. He turned back around a began walking. The others sensed the end to the conversation, and that it would be awhile before the other was once again talking to them. They wondered what caused the strange change in attitude. During the remainder of the walk they took their time enjoying the strange beauty of the place they had found themselves in. Yumichika wasn't that impressed but he thought it was nice break from the monotonous colors of Soul Society.

Ashido stopped suddenly. "It nearly nightfall. Even with the hollows heading, I don't advise continuing in the dark."

The group looked to the young captain. "Very well. It does me no good to have an exhausted squad."

The group understood the point the captain was trying to make, he didn't want anything endangering Ichigo anymore, if they performed a speedy rescue more things could go wrong and it could cost more than one of them their life, or Ichigo's which would make this whole mission a moot point, and a failure.

The older man led the group to a tree, but on closer inspection of the roots, they actually wound around to form a sort of stairwell. They descended quite a ways and ended up into a room. There were random scatterings of things that looked like furniture, they were poorly crafted, yet functional. It was in a dilapidated condition, no one had been in this room for a long time. There was a tunnel, manmade by the look of it, that lead off somewhere.

"There is extra rooms that way." Ashido commented offhandedly. "There isn't much room, but I think there is enough for you to double up."

He lead them to aforementioned rooms, they were in a similar state to the main room. The only difference was there were hollow furs folded up in the corners. There were three rooms in all. It was without a question that Rukia and Rangiku would share a room, the shinigami were gentlemen after all, and there was no need for the girls to sleep with them. Ikkaku and Yumichika buddied off quickly and went into their rooms.

Ashido rubbed the back of his head. "The last room can only fit one. Someone else and I are going to have to take the main room."

"Captain-" Renji began.

The frosty captain quickly cut him off. "Renji you take the last room."

Renji backed off quickly seeing the look in the young captain's eyes. He bowed. "Thank you."

After the squad was settled in, Toshiro and Ashido walked into the main room. There was an awkward air around the two of them. They lay back to back. Toshiro was closer to the tunnel. He could faintly hear Yumichika complaining about not sleeping on hollow pelts. To which Ikkaku replied that he should suck it up. Toshiro tuned out the rest of the conversation after Yumichika made a perverted comment. Toshiro stared down the tunnel, he shifted once more trying to get comfortable, to no avail.

His stirring seemed to have woken his roommate up. "Kid, you alright?"

Toshiro felt a vein throb in his head. "I'm not a kid. I'm a captain of the 13 Gotei."

"Right. Sorry Captain. But I don't have your name."

"Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The older man was silent for awhile, then he spoke again. "But you really are a kid."

Toshiro turned over quickly, glaring at the shape of the other man, who let out a chuckle.

"See? You can't control your impulse emotions. Long term you can but your first reaction gives away your age."

Toshiro inhaled sharply. But Ashido wasn't done. "Kurosaki is much the same way. You can't be that off in age, physically at least. Speaking of which what is your relationship to Kurosaki-san?"

Toshiro couldn't think of an answer right away. They weren't friends per say, but they couldn't be classified as acquaintances anymore, not after what they've been through. Toshiro shrugged lightly. "I don't really know."

Ashido shifted slightly. "Is that so? I'd have thought that you two were best friends, they way you looked when I first saw you. There was a desperation in your eyes. I knew then you were looking from someone important to you."

Toshiro listened. "Really?"

"Yes. But Renji looks desperate as well, but not as much as you do? I wonder why?"

Toshiro turned back around. "Why indeed."

_18 days after Ichigo's disappearance. _

The premiers were gathered around in their usual formation. All were shifting nervously. Their gazes weren't focused straight ahead like they usually were, instead they were looking anywhere but the door that led into the King's private chambers. Yuna had run into him earlier and he had been in a foul mood. She quickly warned the other premiers. It seemed that her warning was well taken.

The doors flew open with a bang. The premiers stiffened. A few dared to look at the angered king. He was glowering at the nearest wall, and he was permeating a dark aura. They premiers looked away, hoping that they wouldn't be the target for the king's anger.

He stopped at the head of the circle and without even composing himself, his heated gaze focused on the blue-haired half demon. He spoke in clipped tones. "Yuna!"

She swallowed harshly and lowered herself. "Y-Yes milord?"

"How did those Gotei dog's get into Hueco Mundo?"

"I-I do not know, sire."

"Then explain to me how they know how to find our hideout!" Sachio screamed.

"Sire? I was not aware they knew."

"You should be thankful that you weren't aware. It'd be on your head if you did."

Yuna nodded shakily and sunk down further.

"Masao!" Sachio rounded on the blonde.

"Yes?" Masao bowed deeply.

"Tell me, what did you pets report when they went to the Living World, before we captured Ichigo?"

Masao paused, the replied. "There were several strong reiatsus. One belonged to our target, and the others were captain class. One I do not know, but the other was Kisuke Urahara."

"Kisuke? Dammit. I did not account for him to be in Karakura town." Sachio growled.

"Masao, have that whelp of yours and whoever else you think fit take out those dammed shinigami!" Sachio ordered.

"It shall be done." Masao deepened his bow.

"Join them if you must." Sachio continued, a scowl on his face. "I want you to wait until the leave the forest. I want them to think that they might actually make it."

Sachio left without another word. The premiers exhaled in relief. Masao looked bored, he looked at Tadashi.

"No way in hell am I going to be blamed if you screw up." The Scott shook his head.

Masao sighed. "Honestly. This is rather tiresome."

"Not my fault. This is your realm after all." Tadashi replies.

Masao shrugs. "I'll be back."

He disappeared in a mini garganta. Leaving the other premiers in the throne room. Yuna regained her composure. She looked at the spot where the other male vanished. "The fool's going to get himself killed. Underestimating them like that."

Tadashi shrugged. "Then let there be a vacancy. He should've prevented their entry in the first place."

"Well whatever." Yuna was walking out of the room. "I have a squad member waiting to be promoted. Though it'd be a shame to lose Masao, he's the reason why we can stay here."

"True." Enyo mumbled.

"Daichi, follow him. Do not intervene until Masao looks like he's about to die." Yuna ordered.

Daichi nodded and then vanished as well. Leaving Enyo and Tadashi in a room together.

Enyo wrinkled her nose. "I hate the fact that she's second-in-command."

"What're you going to do about it. She's got the Boss' backing, and Daichi as well. She's also a part demon."

"I'll suffer silently then." Enyo replied, crossing her arms. "But I hope that I live to see the day she dies."

Enyo strolled towards the door. Tadashi scoffed. "Touchy. Women are so complicated."

He headed off to one of the side doors, a hand in his pocket the other messing with his hair. Thinking that Enyo just lost some of her beauty. She had it on the outside, but not so much on the inside.

Masao reappeared in the throne room of Los Noches. He flared his reiatsu sending the low level hollows and whatever else was in that room flying. He only needed to talk to the one on charge. He strode confidently towards the throne. The occupant of the throne looked up. She seemed unimpressed that the man had entered Los Noches.

"What do I owe this unpleasant visit?" She spat.

"Now, now Tier. No need to be so cold." Masao greeted warmly.

Tier glared at the ponytailed man. "Whenever you visit it never works out in my favor."

The man tried to sound affronted. "I put you on the throne."

"It suited it you."

Masao shrugged. "I can't deny that its been beneficial."

"There's your answer."

"Perhaps, but I have some pests that have invaded your realm. One of them was that white haired shinigami you lost to."

The former espada suddenly looked interested. "That captain?"

Masao nodded. "He and a few of his subordinates are in the Menos Forest."

Tier started to stand up. "I have one stipulation, wait until the clear the forest."

"Orders from you king?" Tier scoffed.

"He's yours as well." Masao stepped foreword. "Do not forget that I rule all of you pathetic hollows."

Tier glared at him. Masao drew his sword. "Do I need to persuade you? Or will you go against your god."

Tier looked away before mumbling, "I wish that hollow would've you eaten instead of that dammed sword."

Masao pretended not hear that last comment. "Will you?"

"I don't have much of a choice." The blonde beauty mumbled. "It shall be done."

Masao smiled cruelly. "Get your group together, and I will meet you at the base of the palace."

Tier walked out of the throne room. Masao walked in the other direction. As he exited the throne room he felt a familiar reiatsu spike. Masao arched an eyebrow. "So you finally come out of hiding? Good, welcome back old friend."

He continued walking towards the base of the castle. He could feel the small group of shinigami approach, they weren't moving very fast. Masao couldn't care less, the outcome would be the same. Whether they be at the door stop of Los Noches or hiding in the Menos Forest. He would kill those who abandoned him and his friends in this hellhole. Leaving him to fend for himself and join a group of psychos.

He reached his destination. He was still focused on that one particular reiatsu, the one he would never forget for as long as he lived. It was the one that lead him and his comrades to their demise, the one that made him leave behind a happy family. His wife was expecting! He was going to be a father, but then he had to lead them into a trap. Now he was a monster, but not in appearance. He was a never a vengeful man but yet he prayed every night that he could be the one to drive the blade into that man's chest.

He smiled cruelly. Now he was going to achieve his goal. Part of it at least, the other part was killing every last shinigami, but that was being worked on, so he didn't need to worry about it.

He rested his hand on his corrupted zanpakuto. He loathed how it felt now, but there was nothing anyone could do for it. He growled in impatience as he waited for that dammed former espada. The reiatsu hadn't wavered any, and he was glad.

"Welcome back to the living, Ashido Kano! Though your stay will be short."

He heard footsteps approach behind him. _Very short_. He amended. The group launched into the Hueco Mundo sands. All bloodthirsty for a good fight. They made good time in approaching the group. They met the group. Masao stopped them, they were standing on a sand dune. There was random cloud obscuring the moon's light, bathing him in darkness as he faced his former ally.

He looked down at him, hate burning in his eyes. He spoke loud enough that they heard him. "Do you remember me, Ashido? Because I never have forgotten you!"

Ashido stared up at the figure, he couldn't tell who it was, though the voice was familiar, he just couldn't place it. As the cloud moved past the moon, the normally stoic faced shinigami felt his jaw drop.

"It can't be... You're Masao Narumi!"

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**Oh look... its a cliffhanger. Sorry, I'll see if I can't get 13 out sooner than normal. I hope enjoyed and I hope you all don't hate me for bringing in Ashido, I thought it'd be nice to add in a little more drama, and fuel for later on. So you know what to do, leave your thoughts below! Oh, and if I get a certain amount of reviews on this update, then I might start inserting a line in for the next chapter, if you all want that. **

**Later!~IF**


	13. The Truth and a Stranger

**Look at that! An early update! This chapter was fairly easy to write and since I got it done so quickly I thought that I would treat you all to it. I did get the required amount of reviews so at the end of the chapter you'll have a small sneak peak at chapter 14 aren't you all lucky? Thanks to ctofi1, Kage Kurai, KageNekoReborn, Phantom Claire, and urufushinigami for reviewing. Now we disclaim and read the chapter, and I'll see you all at the bottom with a sneak peak.**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND SOME OF THE CHARACTERS!**

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Masao grinned sadistically. Smiling down at the shinigami who addressed him. "You do remember! I'm honored."

Ashido looked like he couldn't figure out whether to smile or cry. He stared up at the blonde in surprise unable to formulate the words to respond. Rukia whipped her head between them, trying to figure something out. The other shinigami were simply lost. Toshiro sensed a reiatsu that was too familiar to him. He looked up and sure enough there was the third epsada standing in all her glory.

He gritted his teeth. _Can't these people stay dead!_ He yelled in his head. There was a group behind her as well. They didn't look like the three woman she had with her the last time that the met. He placed his hand on the hilt of his blade the female epsada saw the motion, and inclined her head towards him.

Toshiro stiffened, ready to strike should he need to. The blonde girl seemed to not be indicating that she was going to attack or even would defend if the white haired shinigami struck her first. The young captain watched the interaction that had happened between Ashido and the man known as Ashido.

There was a strained silence between the two opposing forces. Masao started to slowly walk down the sand dune, his gate was long and graceful. It didn't look like he was at all hindered by the slope of the sand dune or the unstable footing it was surely providing. When he reached the bottom his eyes scanned over Ashido, apparently evaluating him.

"You haven't aged a day since I last saw you." Masao finally declared.

"The same to you." Ashido was finally able to breath out.

Masao looked disappointed. "I obviously grew my hair out."

Ashido blinked not understanding the humor in the others statement. "Yeah?"

A long sigh was heard. "Never mind. You've been out of the loop for far too long."

Masao took another step forward, and Ashido responded by getting into a defensive position. The blond man set his hand on his hilt gently. "Not fond of ghosts?"

"Ashido, what is he talking about?" Rukia asked him.

Ashido looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, he returned his gaze back onto the ex-shinigami. "He was one of the members of my squad."

Rukia looked surprised. "Wait but you said-"

"I know what I said. It seems that I didn't expect him to reappear as a hollow."

"Me a hollow?" Masao chuckled. "Never would I be a being so low as that. I am something more than you ever will be!"

"Isn't that what Aizen said?" Renji asked.

"You aren't a shinigami any longer!" Ashido cried.

"No disagreement there. The hollows are better than shinigami. But I've gone beyond a level you never even dreamed of. You mistake was thinking that I was dead. When the hollow only ate my sword."

Toshiro was confused. "The hollow ate your zanpakuto?"

"I just said that boy!" Masao yelled.

"But what happened to it?" The blade was emitting nothing unusual for a zanpakuto.

"It was corrupted obviously." The way it was said so casually made the shinigami doubt the statement. "You don't believe me? Ashido do remember my zanpakuto?"

The shinigami in question looked up, mulling the question over before he answered it. "Didn't it just emit a strong beam of light?"

"Correct." Masao drew his blade, which was not silver like the others, but it was actually pitch black. Now that it was drawn there was a sensible difference between the reiatsu of the zanpakuto and the blade he was holding.

Masao waved the blade around, it left a black trail behind its as it move through the air. He let it hang at his side. "You see now? It is corrupted. Even its release is different."

The pony-tailed man turned around to the small squad waiting for him above. He motioned for them to move foreword. Or that's what the shinigami thought. Toshiro saw the ex-espada draw her sword and lunge towards him. The rest of the group followed suit. Toshiro was pushed several hundred meters away, until he could only see him and the girl. She looked around as if checking to see if they were alone.

She eyed him evenly. "You are looking for someone?"

"Yeah. I think that guy is part of the group that took our friend."

Tier replaced her blade in its sheathe. Toshiro arched an eyebrow. "That man is a annoyance. If you can get him to leave me and my subordinates alone, then we shall be willing to allow you free reign of Hueco Mundo for the time being. Until you return to the World of the Living or Soul Society."

"Why would you?" Toshiro said sheathing his own blade.

"As I said he was an annoyance. Your little group can take care of him."

On seeing Toshiro's doubting face she continued on. "None of you subordinates will be harmed should you agree to the terms."

Toshiro nodded. "Whatever. The goal is the same, no matter whose help we get it from. It does me and my squad to be incredibly beaten up."

Tier looked relieved. "Then we are agreed. I hope your friend will dispatch him."

Toshiro nodded. "By the way... what is Masao's power?"

Tier looked reluctant before she began to explain.

Ashido was left alone with Masao. The atmosphere was awkward to say the least. The two men hadn't seen each other in years. Ashido had thought the blond dead, but he was alive with a corrupted zanpakuto, looking like all he wanted to do was kill. Something that wasn't a trait in the old Masao, then again that Masao hadn't been attacked or eaten or whatevered by a hollow.

The stoic man eyed the blade once more. "A real beauty isn't she?" Masao asked him.

"She's ugly."

Masao took offense. "She is beautiful, and unique. Nothing like you've ever seen before or will see again.";

He swung his blade making a cross. "Rule, Kubomi no Kami!"

The black blade flashed into a large shield, that was made out of a hollow's mask. The top of his Shihakusho blew away, leaving his chest exposed and a hollow's hole over his stomach, it was jagged and not a perfect circle like most hollows, if one had an imagination they would be able to see a crown pattern in it. Ashido gaped openly at the released form of Masao's zanpakuto, or whatever it was now. He turned to observe the shield.

It was large enough to cover most of the torso, it was without a doubt a hollows mask, it was shaped like a ram's skull, but instead of the features of a ram it had one large almond shaped cutout in it, there was a crease running down the middle of it and it looked like it could open. But at the moment Ashido couldn't find a single use for an opening.

"Lets not waste time on formalities." Masao spoke, before rushing Ashido.

Ashido raised his sword just in time in to stop the ram horns from piercing his body.

Ashido slid backwards a few feet, grunting with effort to deadlock the shield. Both parties leapt backwards. Masao didn't give him the chance to recover as he was flying towards him once more shield raised and points glistening in the sun. He was approaching at a fast pace and there was no way that Ashido would be able to stop the shield with just a sword.

As was expected the sword slowed the shield down but did not stop it completely. The ram horn gouged Ashido's arm, leaving the horn a crimson color. The horn looked like it was absorbing the blood, and sure enough within a few seconds the blood was fully absorbed and the eye was starting to fill up with a red light. The two jumped apart once more, Ashido stopping the bleeding with a quick healing kido.

Masao was looking bored, he checked the eye. He looked pleased as he nodded and returned his gaze to Ashido. Ashido tilted his head trying to figure out the power of his zanpakuto. Nothing came to his mind. This time Ashido took the first step and rushed Masao seemed to be ready for that and idly blocked the strike sending the sword and the wielder the other way. Leaving Ashido's torso open for a strike from the shield.

Masao took advantage of the open torso and struck the ram horn into Ashido's side. The shield was yanked out from the man's side and it was slowly absorbing the blood. The eye was now filled halfway to the center. It occurred to Ashido that the eye filled up when the horn sucked in blood. Ashido clutched at his bleeding side.

"What? Don know how to fight?" Masao asked his tone was teasing.

Ashido stayed silent. Masao shrugged, though it was awkward since there was a large shield weighing one arm down. The shield had specks of blood that weren't on the horn. Leaving Ashido to believe that the blood was only absorbed when it was on the horn, and he was starting to think that something will happen if that eye was filled up, but he wasn't sure what.

Masao stopped, and looked at his former commander. "You were always a sharp one."

Ashido scoffed. He had slowed his bleeding down so that it was not a threat that he would bleed out so soon. He wasn't that skilled in healing kido, so he couldn't heal his wounds completely. He raised his blade and sent the other man a sharp look. Masao seemed unperturbed, he just hefted his shield up.

"But do you have any clue as to what my power is?" Masao spoke simply. "Since you'll be dead shortly, I as well give you an explanation."

Masao shrugged his shield onto his back. He pulled his arms across his chest stretching it out, since it had been encumbered by the weight of the shield. "Where should I start?"

"How did you even survive?" Ashido asked feeling slightly more comfortable since the shield was put away.

"There works as good as any place to start I suppose." Masao dropped his hand to his side.

The blond man took in a deep breath. "When we first went through the garganta we were ambushed by a large amount of hollows. Allowing us to be overwhelmed rather quickly I might add. I watched, and you did to, as our squad members were murdered, by these beasts. I almost fell to one. You saw me go down, and you and your friend fled like cowards. Yet the truth is I didn't die that day."

Masao ignored the comment of "Obviously."

"The hollow bit off my sword arm, and ate it."

Ashido looked slightly disgusted. Masao ignored it. "You know how I am still alive? I killed the hollow with a kido spell, yet my sword was still there after the hollow vanished. It had turned that black color. At first I was like you and was disgusted by it. I grabbed it anyway so that I may have a weapon but as I was wondering, I stumbled across an old library, written by someone or something and it had an odd kido in it, so I tried it out, and wouldn't you know I regrew my arm! Of course it looked like it belonged to a hollow so using a bit of another kido a did a charm so it looks my arm."

Ashido watched amazed that someone who once was so honorable would've fallen so far. Yet it seemed that it had happened. He watched as Masao shrugged his shield back on to his arm." Long story short, I was gifted the powers of the God of Hollows."

"The god of hollows?" Ashido's tone was disbelieving.

"Yeah, this realm is mine, I control all creatures that originate here" Masao said.

"You do?" Ashido spoke numbly

"Of course."

Ashido stared at his former teammate not really sure how to handle things. He had thought that he was the only one left from his squad but to be shown that he was wrong was something that he could easily come to terms with. Being shown that he was wrong and his teammate had gone to the dark side was something that he couldn't handle. He released a long breath of air, trying to chose his next course of action. It would seem, however that Masao had other plans as started to walk towards him brandishing his shield.

Ashido noticed something about the reiatsu radiating off of the shield. It was that of a hollows, but it still had shinigami intertwined in it. From his dealings with hollows he knew that the only shinigami that the hollows would listen to was Aizen, and he wasn't sure why, but he knew from the way that the other arrancar around him looked annoyed as he spoke he knew that wasn't the case. Instead Masao bullied them into following his order, though he couldn't explain how the other controlled the space of Hueco Mundo, he had to be missing something.

He also started walking towards Masao, a slight plan forming in his head. As the distance grew steadily short the stoic redhead shinigami could only pray that it worked.

* * *

Ichigo was still wandering around in the snow storm ravaged place, but now he decided that it was more of a harsh snow. The wind wasn't blowing nearly as fierce as it was when he first entered this place. He hadn't been able to make very much progress as he felt he was constantly going in circles. There was no way he would know until the snow fully died down.

As he had wandered something was progressively getting stronger What he wasn't sure but he thought he was heading in the direction that it was in. He had a vague idea about what it actually was. He remembered this type of feeling from the time when everyone in Soul Society forgot that Rukia existed. It was only because of the bond he and Rukia shared that they were able to get everyone to remember Rukia. He was having the feeling of a strong bond being awakened from within him.

He had reflected over the bond many times before. When he had examined it, it was just starting to be awakened so he could tell nothing from it. Though he could sense the age of it. It was ancient, he couldn't tell how old exactly because it was well past anything that he knew. He could also feel its potential strength, it was immensely stronger than the one he shared with Rukia, he could also feel that one as well, but it was clearer than this one. The bond seemed tired, like it was waking up from a long sleep, Ichigo thought that it was because it had been needed, used, or even known about it a long time. He couldn't really describe it. The feeling that it gave him was something that should be protected, that it was precious. Ichigo often wracked his brains to see if there was someone that he would share such a bond with. He knew it was the same as the ribbon. The name was at the tip of his tongue, if only he could think of it. Sometimes the snow would blow around him as if wrapping him in a blanket. This snow didn't make him cold, tired, or anything. It comforted him, as if he was supposed to be in the snow. He couldn't decipher if anything linked together. If he thought too hard about it he'd get a headache and that would slow his already non-existent progress. So he wouldn't dwell, he wasn't the type to anyway. He often found himself wishing for a road sign or something.

A lot of his memories were starting to become a blur. He could remember clearly what had happened to him in the past two years but the it was slowly starting to become hazier and hazier. When he thought about it the most distant thing he could remember clearly was gaining his shinigami powers from Rukia. The only other thing that he could remember that was early was his mother's death. He scoffed that would be one of the only things he remembered.

But when he tried to think about the time he and his friends hung out after school when he was in his last year of middle school, he couldn't remember the uniforms, and even the faces of his friends became hazy. He had always hated how he had such a clear memory. He used to be able to remember random things that he and his mother used to do, but now it was all starting to slip away from him. He wished for those happy memories, though they normally cause him to have stretches of time where he was constantly in a foul mood. In fact he had even resorted to not go onto the side of town where he and his mother used to get ice cream, because if one memory was triggered then a whole lot of them would come later. He found that it was one of his weakness to think of his mother before she died, but he would occasionally allow himself a day where he just remembered, so often it was the day of his mothers death.

He felt completely powerless. He felt it when he was being held, but now the feeling, slightly lessened, was back. He couldn't do anything but wander around while his captors were plotting the possible downfall of Soul Society. He was lost and he was alone. Alone. That word hit him harder than he would've thought. It wasn't as if he didn't have faith in his friends, but he could tell that he had been gone for a long time. He wondered if his friends were even looking for him. He knew if this had happened to one of his friends, he did have friends who were kidnapped, he'd waste no time in looking for them. Even if it took a long time for him to find them, he would make sure, that his friends knew that he was coming to rescue them. But since his capture he hadn't even gotten that gut feeling that he should've gotten. Leaving him to think that he was expendable.

He was in a way, he had defeated Aizen. That was the primary reason for him to be so welcomed in the shinigami community, sure he was friends with Rukia, Renji, and all of those guys, but he wasn't really a shinigami, in many of the captain's mind. He should be thankful for what they did for him, even after he probably broke every rule that was possible to break. So he knew that he'd be lucky if they stuck their neck out once more for his sake, or maybe it would be indirectly. He didn't care, another thought struck him, maybe they didn't know he was missing? That was plausible, but unlikely, as they had Karakura town under surveillance. He shrugged to himself, he wasn't going to get his hopes up to much, as there wasn't much to allow him to hopeful except for the whim that his friends would return the favor of him saving them so many times.

* * *

His feet were getting tired of walking, he had long since just given up on trying to find a shelter, he was pushing his already weakened body too much. He wasn't sure where the injuries that he got from his torture went, but at the moment he didn't miss them. They were just reminders of how weak he was at one time when he didn't have a sword, sharp words, or the ability to walk away.

The battle between the former allies was starting to wind down. Both were injured, neither had any lethal wounds on him. A fact that Ashido found annoying, he had hoped swinging his sword around the shield and hitting the exposed flesh would wield satisfying results, it had only proved to injure the other man. Masao's shield's eye was all the way full now. and Ashido had a bad feeling about it.

Masao was pointing the shield directly at him. "You ready to see what I can really do?"

Ashido got into a ready stance. He wasn't sure what the attack would be but he was ready to move into whatever block would work best for the attack.

Masao murmured something and the eye started to glow brighter. Ashido watched as a small ball of energy formed in front of the eyes. _That looks like a cero! _Ashido thought, it was another second before he thought _Crap! It _is _a cero!_

The cero was released and Ashido jumped to the side, marveling at the size and destructive power of the cero. He saw Masao lower his shield, and just as he was about to move forward once more, he saw the blue eyes widen impossibly large as they looked down and saw a blade piercing through his heart. He crumbled to the ground as the blade was pulled away. Ashido looked at the wielder of the blade. It was a pale woman, adorned all in white, even her hair and her ribbon that loosely held her waist length hair back.

She had startling blue eyes, and the front of her kimono was now splattered with red making a sharp contrast. She looked up and saw Ashido looking at her. She inclined her head towards him. He backed up slightly and she smiled almost sadly.

"_We are on the same side... For now." _The words echoed in his head, barely a whisper but there was no doubt the owner of the voice was the woman in front of him. She turned elegantly and within a second she was gone, leaving a swirl of white sand in her wake.

Ashido was soon joined by the other members of the squad. "Who was that?" Ashido asked them.

Rukia shrugged. "A passerby maybe."

"Do random people dressed entirely in white often come and kill people in your battles?" Ashido wondered.

"Not often"; Toshiro spoke calmly.

"This has happened before?" Ashido cried.

Toshiro shrugged. "Anyway, let's head off to Los Noches."

Renji nodded. "The sooner we find this anomaly the better for us, and for Ichigo."

Ashido couldn't help the grim thought that crossed his mind. If there is anything left to help.

The seven of them set off towards the tall white towers in the distance. Thankfully it was an easy landmark to follow since Hueco Mundo was empty and nothing was obstructing their vision at the moment. Toshiro thought that it was a nice change to have a peaceful, non aimlessly wandering walk. He liked to have a course, and he finally got it. He had a plan, and hopefully it would go off without at hitch. Of course, knowing the luck of the shinigami, something would no doubt go wrong, but he was expecting it, so the damage should be minimal. He hoped at least...

* * *

**Halfway Cliffhanger? Right we're at the bottom. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 13 as much as you enjoyed the other chapters. Foreshadowing is kind of my thing in case you didn't notice. I'd make a good suspense writer don't you think? Not really. Alright enough stalling on my part and I'll give you the sneak peak.**

* * *

_Yuna rolled her eyes when she felt Masao's reiatsu disappear. The king was not going to be pleased with the turn of events. She had felt the seven reiatsus before, the newest one was the shinigami that lurked on the lower levels below them. The other six were the same group. Just before Masao's reiatsu disappeared she sensed an eighth. After evaluating the reiatsu she leapt up with such ferocity that the chair she had been lounging in toppled backwards. She had even startled Osamu, who was just walking into the room after fulfilling her order. _

"_Premier?" He asked uncertainly. _

_Yuna didn't hear him or was ignoring him. She was seething, the amount of anger she was feeling was evident in her eyes, normally a russet color with more brown, looked to be redder. _

_She growled. _'There's no way that she can still be alive!'

_Osamu took a small step back. Hoping to avoid his premier's apparent wrath at someone. _

…

* * *

**And that's your preview! Later! ~IF**


	14. Enter! New Premier!

**Woot. Chapter 14. How awesome right? Alrighty, I'm pretty sure this is a late update, so for that I apologize. But on the bright side we will get to meet one of the fan-made premiers that was summited to me. So thanks to Kage Kurai, KageNekoReborn, mer-mer, AngryHtsu, and Dragonheart for reviewing. I love hearing your thoughts and thanks for spending the time to tell me that. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story. Dragonheart, thank you for your feedback, I found it helpful and I hope to have corrected it. As for the mistakes I am trying to catch them but you know how it is, it is hard proofreading your own work because you know what you want to say. Enough with the long Author's Note and onto the story, after the disclaimer. **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND SOME OF THE OCs**

* * *

Yuna rolled her eyes when she felt Masao's reiatsu disappear. The king was not going to be pleased with the turn of events. She had felt the seven reiatsus before, the newest one was the shinigami that lurked on the lower levels below them. The other six were the same group. Just before Masao's reiatsu disappeared she sensed an eighth. After evaluating the reiatsu she leapt up with such ferocity that the chair she had been lounging in toppled backwards. She had even startled Osamu, who was just walking into the room after fulfilling her order.

"Premier?" He asked uncertainly.

Yuna didn't hear him or was ignoring him. She was seething, the amount of anger she was feeling was evident in her eyes, normally a russet color with more brown, looked to be redder.

_She growled. _'There's no way that she can still be alive!'

Osamu took a small step back. Hoping to avoid his premier's apparent wrath at someone. She strode around her desk, and towards the door, just as she was about to pass her first officer, she stopped. "We've lost a premier."

"Ma'am?"

"Masao's arrogance finally caught up to him. He was claiming he was a god. That will _always _get you killed."

Osamu nodded and watched as his premier walked through the door slamming it shut. He wondered what got her all stirred up.

Yuna was storming through the hallways, flames licking at her fingers in her anger. She stopped suddenly. Putting out the flame on her finger, she took a deep breath in and let it out. She was still fuming but at least she was dignified about it. She began to walk once more joined by Tadashi.

"You called it. Masao got himself killed." Tadashi looked the tiniest bit saddened by the loss of his friend.

Yuna not in the mood to talk to the Scotsman. "Sad that you lost your fuck buddy?" She snarled.

"No need to be so touchy." Tadashi waved his hands. "We didn't do that anyway. It was completely platonic."

"Whatever." She spoke shortly.

Tadashi shrugged and allowed the older woman to pass by him. He was trailing behind the pissed half-demon. He was just making sure that she wasn't going to burn the hideout down.

They had all felt the disappearance of Masao's reiatsu, they were having a meeting. Unlike the actual Gotei the moment that they knew one of their premiers was dead they had the replacement lined up. It was efficient and they always had thirteen standing by in case of a situation like this. They had to only use one replacement, this would be the second, _s_ince their ranks filled up entirely. The first one was Masao actually, so it was fitting indeed.

The two premiers walked into the throne room, as usual Tadashi winced as the light hit his eyes to fast. Yuna didn't seem bothered by it. _Probably has some bloody demon eye thing. _Tadashi thought bitterly.

They were the first two to arrive. Yuna took her spot, it was right next to the king. She was his second after all. They all knew how Yuna and the King had been the ones to start planning the attack of Soul Society. They had been planning this for well over nine-hundred years. The king had been rouge for fifty years before Yuna joined him.

They also all knew the powers that Yuna had for being a half demon, though nobody knew what she exchanged for them. The two top premier alone would be enough to bring all the shinigami, excluding the vice-captains and captains, to their knees. But Tadashi figured that's what the other eleven were for to bring the entirety of Soul Society down. The plan was being set up as they spoke, or it was already finished, the red-hair really only showed up to meetings and didn't pay much attention.

The King wandered in. He was looking unperturbed by the turn of events, but the two premiers both knew that the slightest infraction of conduct on anything would be sending them on a one way trip to hell. Soon Daichi was walking in, holding the door for Enyo as she walked into the room with a flourish. They both quickly took their positions.

"Masao has died." The king spoke tiredly. "He was killed in battle."

There was a certain way that you went about treating a premier's death. You spoke a few words about them. Buried them if you had a body, or burned them, and then the new premier would come in. It was a full twenty minutes before the speaking finally ended. The King summoned one of the random minions running around the throne room to bring him water. Once he set his glass down, the others knew that it was almost time to welcome their new premier.

"As you know we have a vacancy." Sachio sighed. "The successor of the Hollow Cell's leadership, and the owner of the right to rename the cell, has been chosen. Please turn to welcome our new Premier."

The side doors opened deliberately. The premiers turned to see who it would be. The first thing that the premiers noticed was the large scythe that was somehow strapped to her back. The shadows that were cast from the large window seemed to be wrapping around the new premier. The figured didn't seem to mind however. As they drew closer, features were becoming more and clearer. The eyes were a deep red, though they couldn't see much more of her face as it was covered by a black cloth. Her black bangs, which looked nearly blue in the lighting hung over her right eye. He hair hung down to her shoulders, pencil straight.

She gave a slight bow to the other premiers. They returned the bow out of politeness. Yuna leaned up to whisper in Daichi's ear, the one he still had. "She gives me the creeps."

Daichi nodded. The female didn't seem to notice the interaction between the elder shinigami, as her attention was focused on the King.

Sachio cleared his throat. Returning the attention back to him. "I'd like you all to meet the newest Premier. Kurai Kage."

There were murmured greetings. Kurai inclined her head once more to them. Enyo made a face, she didn't like how quiet this ex-shinigami was being.

Sachio cleared his throat. Obviously not expecting the silence from the girl. "Right. Premier Kage… will you keep the same name for your cell, or will you change it?"

Kurai seemed to be thinking it over. Not that the other premiers would know what was going on in the woman's head. "The Justice Cell." She spoke finally, though her voice barely carried over to the King's ears.

"The Justice Cell? Then that is what it shall be." Sachio proclaimed.

Kurai nodded. She didn't speak for the rest of the meeting having taken Masao's old spot next to Tadashi. The redhead looked uncomfortable next to the quiet girl. After all the formalities were finished. The king adjourned the meeting.

"Enyo, you wing is closest to the former hollow cell's. Take Premier Kage there."

The Grecian looked affronted that she would be asked to do something so menial, and with a newbie at that. She bowed her head gracefully however knowing full and well that the King did not need a reason for him to remove her head from her neck.

"Miss Kage. Please follow me." Enyo spoke, false politeness dripping from her voice.

She turned and started to head out of the throne room, she had to check to see if the other was following her. To her surprise the other shinigami was behind her by just a few feet. She was moving so silently. It was unnerving. Enyo noticed that the girl was not wearing the typical shinigami sandals but black flats. They were made out of soft leather that didn't even cause the floor to creak.

The two females walked in utter silence as they reached the cell where the teenager was being held. Kurai stopped and tilted her head. Enyo looked behind her and saw the other was stopped.

"A traitor is in there." Enyo lied effortlessly.

Kurai seemed to take the news as the truth and started to walk once more. Enyo sighed in relief, she didn't trust the new premier just yet. She knew nothing about Kurai. They walked a little further until they reached a fork in the hallway. Enyo pointed towards the right one. "That's your wing."

With her job complete the beautiful woman turned around and walked off to her own wing. Kurai turned to walk down to her wing. She needed to evaluate the Cell which she would now be leading. The hall was filled with massive painting, all of them depicted varying things, though they were all about hollows. She noted with interest that when she walked by a frame it changed to a depiction of justice. The hallway was also forming itself so that it would create the most shadows instead of being a pet house for hollows.

_Interesting. _She thought.

* * *

_22 Days since Ichigo went missing…_

The seven shinigami were setting up camp for the night. Toshiro was supervising the setting up, they were using the tents that set themselves up when they were infused with reishi. The mood the previous few nights was tense, and any attempt to lighten the mood was thwarted due to someone bringing up the orange haired shinigami which made Rukia, Renji, or Toshiro get into a different mood.

Though Rukia reported that they're about a day's travel from the bottom of Los Noches. The group seemed to have covered more distance today than they had in the previous days. Now as they all sat around they were joking, laughing, and being boisterous like normal. All but Toshiro who was lost in thought and Ashido who looked lost as Ikkaku talked about this one time he and his drinking buddies went out. Ashido had no idea who any of the people were. Rukia took pity on him finally and was talking to him about something. They were huddled together.

Toshiro looked up as his vice-captain joined him, he was away from the group enjoying time to himself which was a luxury.

"Hmm?" He hummed.

Rangiku was looking over to where Rukia and Ashido where. She had a pout on her face. "I always thought that she'd go for Ichigo."

Toshiro followed the busty woman's gaze. He shrugged. "They're just talking."

Rangiku faux gasped. "Captain! They're so close together though! They don't need to be that close do they?"

"Maybe not, but they could be doing this out of politeness so they aren't disturbing the other's conversation."

Rangiku sat down. "You aren't romantic."

Toshiro arched an eyebrow, knowing that his vice-captain wasn't in her serious mode. He was sure to get an overly exaggerated tale of something in a few seconds.

Sure enough the vice-captain opened her mouth. "When I first heard that Ichigo broke into Soul Society for her my first thought was they must be dating. But the way the act around each other it lacked the passion that it should've, it was actually more of a best friend atmosphere. Then I thought that it was because the feelings were there but they were acknowledged. But now I see the chemistry between these two and I wonder if those two don't have something going on. Ichigo will be heartbroken!"

Toshiro sighed. "What makes you think that Ichigo likes her?"

"I don't know. He hasn't dated anyone, nor had his first kiss so obviously he is holding out for someone."

"How'd you get that information?" Toshiro questioned.

"Rukia." Rangiku spoke confidently.

Toshiro thought that it was actually kind of nice that Ichigo hadn't been the typical teenage boy and taken any offer that came his way. It was nice to find a human with morals like that. He must've been raised in a good home, Toshiro decided. Something welled up inside of him, he couldn't discern the emotion, but he knew that it was affectionate feeling, and he figured it was toward Ichigo since he was the topic of the moment. Though he felt strange when he thought about Ichigo being with someone but he wasn't sure what he could call it, he felt like it was jealousy. The white-haired captain figured that it couldn't be. Why would he be jealous if Ichigo was with someone? Maybe it was envy, that the orange haired teen that was way younger than him was about to find solace in the arms of another. _And that other not being me!_

Toshiro's eyes widened. He wasn't entirely sure why he had thought that, and it was completely uncalled for. He shook his head, earning him a strange look from Rangiku, who had been going on about something.

"It's nothing."

"Okay, whatever you say Captain."

The two fell into a silence. Watching the group talk about something that evidentially was upsetting to Yumichika and hilarious to Ikkaku. _Those two really are inseparable._ Thought the young captain. He couldn't remember a time when the two weren't within each other's sensing range. It was really intriguing that they had somehow managed to do everything together. From entering the academy, to getting in trouble at the same time because they broke the same rule. They also balanced each other out. Ikkaku was a hot-head and acted without thought, while Yumichika was calm and gave some thought into his actions.

Rangiku noticed his staring. "They are an interesting pair, aren't they?"

Toshiro looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Yeah."

"The woman's association had a betting pool on them getting together once. Nobody won."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, people were saying that they were together and that they were attempting to, or they were together but decided it would be better if they stayed friends."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, he had heard the rumors about the Woman's Association, but he hadn't thought that they were true. He thought he'd indulge his Vice-Captain slightly. "Then what are they?"

"They're best friends. They haven't ever been lovers." She shrugged.

The careful wording of the sentence made Toshiro wonder if Rangiku wasn't still determined that they would get together. _Someone help us should she be right._

The two sat in silence once more before everyone decided that it would be best if they all turned in for the night and got an early start in the morning.

Sleeping wasn't very comfortable, the shinigami could feel the sand shifting below them and it made their beds uneven. There was an odd wind that would blow every once and while and it carried anguished cries with it. No one bothered to ask if they were human or hollow, they knew it was both and the preferred not to think about what could've happened here without the shinigami's knowledge, or whatever atrocities that Aizen committed in this world.

Morning came sooner than they had thought. The sun was unusually bright and the sands oddly still. The shinigami went about packing the campsite back up, and Ashido scouted ahead for a path that didn't look to treacherous for those with less stable footing.

They were off an hour after they awoke. Toshiro wished that there was a way that they would be able to actually tell what time it was. He knew it was morning but that was about it. They walked for what was assumed another three hours before they stopped for a break. They could've shunpoed all the way to Los Noches, and they really should've, if they treated this as a race against time, but the Captain had thought it best that the group take frequent breaks so they weren't tired and it wouldn't hinder them in the long run.

Renji sat further away from the group than normal. Waiting wasn't his style he preferred doing something and he really just wanted to save Ichigo as soon as possible to save him from more pain. The tattooed man tried to be optimistic but sometimes he failed miserably and this was one of those times. He knew that the orange-haired teen had been in pain. The Neo-Gotei didn't seem like the ones to just hold their prisoners captive and not do anything with them, like Aizen had with Orihime. That blue-haired girl had said as much anyway. Renji just wanted to get to the anomaly and through it, this time he'd be the one to save Ichigo and not the other way around.

When Renji had first met the teen he honestly thought that he was annoying and was too insignificant to die by his captain's blade, but when the teen had stormed into Soul Society wielding his annoyingly huge Zanpakuto around like a toy, Renji had thought that he was too annoying but it was a good chance for revenge. That was the one thing that he admired about Ichigo, there were many things that Ichigo should be admired for, but it was the fact that it was never out of revenge.

Renji looked over to the castle, it was becoming more and more visible the only sign of their struggles. It felt like they were walking in pace because the desert looked the same. He didn't think that he could handle not having a visual marker in this world.

A little while later they were walking once more. By the time the sun was setting most of the base was visible. They had slowed down because Rukia warned of the guardian that would rise out of the sand. Though he was weak against ice and water type attacks, they had two powerful ice-zanpakuto in the group, the shinigami did not want to be taken off guard by the creature and risk getting injured.

They were nearly to the base when the guard rose up. Just as he was beginning his speech two separate ice attacks were flying in the air and hitting him in the face and chest. Rukia and Toshiro both looked pleased that the possible delay had been shortened immensely. Ashido stood there awkwardly not sure that he should be amazed or frightened of the two ice-wielders.

They pressed on, but it was getting too dark to continue any further. They were a half an hour away from the base of the castle and they thought that it wouldn't be bad to start a little later, after all they didn't want any nasty surprises waiting for them.

* * *

Inside his office Sachio was pacing. The shinigami had headed towards Los Noches, which worked in his favor because the base was actually across Hueco Mundo so even if they did find him it would take a long time for them to reach him and his premiers.

Though he was discomforted by the fact that they had figured out what world his base was in and so quickly. He didn't know what the shinigami were capable of. He stopped and stared out of the window. He had waited a long time for this invasion and he wasn't about to let the chance slip. The war with Aizen was such a short time ago, Soul Society would still be in relative chaos as they struggled to rebuild. They were also down three captains, and temporarily down four. Now would be the perfect time to strike. The plan was ready he just needed permission to move into action now instead of the original date they decided.

Yet he didn't want the plan to fail because he rushed it because of a something so slight. Though he hadn't expected Masao to be killed either but that was not from the shinigami, Yuna had told him that she felt another reiatsu near the area that Masao's vanished in, and that it was no shinigami.

The pale man suddenly had a whim and acting on that whim he walked out of his room and towards the place where the teen was being held. He wanted to look at the boy himself, he hadn't seen him since he went comatose and he felt like he was long overdue for a visit.

He reached the room in a record time and swung the door open. There on the bed that they had laid him one was the perfectly still Ichigo. The wounds he had sustained were slowly healing, Tadashi had stopped the bleeding finally. Sachio was also aware that the wounds wouldn't heal fully until the infection was gone. The male wanted the teen's body as weak as possible. The muscle that the teen had when he first came was deteriorating at a fast pace, and the teen was thinning quickly. The only thing that was really keeping him alive was whatever was in that IV bag hanging from his arm.

Sachio had spent the later part of a century creating a poison that would do just what was happening. It cause the target to become hyper-alert something that lasted until death. It also sped up the body deterioration. Sachio knew that if there was any chance to still get the hollow out, he wouldn't complain if the boy lived and they had the hollow, the hollow needed to have a soul and body that was too weak to fight back.

The King of the Neo-Gotei was well aware of the strength the teen was known to possess. He also knew that the teen hadn't reached his full potential. Most shinigami's potential is reached when they were twenty-five or so in age, they could be strong beforehand but about that age was when they were decided to be at their maximum. It was that age that they were also allowed to become eligible for seats. Obviously there were a few exceptions to that rule, but in majority. Then again age was relative in Soul Society some people never age and some never stop aging or they all aged a different paces. Either way the boy was still a teen and therefore hadn't reached his full power.

Sachio wasn't embarrassed to admit that the thought scared him. That there was so much raw power given to one boy who was unable to wield it successfully. But the hollow, now it would be at its max power at day one. Hollows weren't known for their restraint, and with his zanpakuto, he'd be able to control the monster that the teen had inside of him.

His eyes were running over Ichigo's marred body. He noticed that the hair was getting longer. He remembered something about how the hair had been amazingly long when he had killed Aizen. That detail was not important. Sachio smiled scarily and started to head towards the door.

No, he wouldn't rush the invasion foreword they would commence with phase one soon. The premiers would undoubtedly be ready for the plan then. If they weren't he'd kill them.

He knew the plan would work, the only wild card that had been thrown at them was the winter war which had worked in their advantage in the long run.

Soul Society would be thrown into chaos once more as they were attacked from an outside force and from their own ranks. They would crumble within a month of the final phase. The King had everything worked out.

Walking down a random hallway he saw a painting of Soul Society. With a smug grin on his face he spoke out loud. "I'm back, and there is nothing you can do about it old man."

He started walking once more. "There is nothing you or your court guards can do to fight me. Not when you don't know what hit you."

The king vanished around a corner, failing to notice a particular russet-eyed girl. The girl was sitting on an arch support, it was hanging from the ceiling and made a very good perch.

"Things should get interesting." The girl spoke silently. "But I can always throw a kink into the plan should it get boring."

* * *

**How was that? I hope you all enjoyed it. We're starting to see hidden objectives and the team is getting closer! Now it is time for your chapter 15 preview. I hope it doesn't disappoint.**

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_24 days since Ichigo went missing_

_The man in the striped hat stood in front of the Kurosaki Clinic. It had been nearly a month since the eldest Kurosaki had been declared missing. The excuse of a class trip worked for at least two days, three at the most. The man looked at the front door. He knew Isshin wasn't a man that was shook easily, and that his son gone for this long wouldn't bother him. The man had debated with himself for a long while trying to debate as to whether or not he should inform the ex-captain. The researcher had told himself that he would only inform Isshin if it got bad, and since he had lost contact with the away squad, he figured that it got bad._

_Steeling his resolve he walked to the front door and knocked. Praying that the father would be the one to answer. It looked as though his prayers would be answered when a familiar spike hairdo appeared from beyond the door._

"_Welcome to the Kurosaki clinic!" The voice chimed. "What can we do-."_

_Isshin stopped midsentence when he saw who it was. "What do you want?"_

* * *

**Also the new premier as I said before was from a fan. ****Kage Kurai! If you sent one in don't worry they'll be appearing later, and if not in the sequel, which is most certainly going to happen. So bear with me until then, 'kay? **

**There you all are. I know some people have been talking about Ichigo's father and I **_**finally**_** found a place to put him in? Isn't that peachy? As always leave your thoughts below and anything else. Now off to finish chapter 15, and if you all behave I may be able to update early. Also I have an instagram account that I use for my fanfictions and other things, its under the same name, unsurprisingly. Later! ~IF**


	15. Two Seperate Visits

**Welcome back to the next chapter of TSTS, yay for patterns! Look I'm actually on time, that's great for me, and I suppose it's a good thing for you all. Thanks to Kurie-tibiti, Kage Kurai, ctofi1, Phantom Claire, AngryHitsu, and Mer-mer. To those of you that missed my last author's note at the end of chapter 14 the creator of the character was Kage Kurai. Those of you that have submitted OCs they will come into play, just not yet. Now, onto the disclaimer and the chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND SOME OF THE ORIGNIAL CHARACTERS**

* * *

_24 days since Ichigo went missing_

The man in the striped hat stood in front of the Kurosaki Clinic. It had been nearly a month since the eldest Kurosaki had been declared missing. The excuse of a class trip worked for at least two days, three at the most. The man looked at the front door. He knew Isshin wasn't a man that was shook easily, and that his son gone for this long wouldn't bother him. The man had debated with himself for a long while trying to debate as to whether or not he should inform the ex-captain. The researcher had told himself that he would only inform Isshin if it got bad, and since he had lost contact with the away squad, he figured that it got bad.

Steeling his resolve he walked to the front door and knocked. Praying that the father would be the one to answer. It looked as though his prayers would be answered when a familiar spike hairdo appeared from beyond the door.

"Welcome to the Kurosaki clinic!" The voice chimed. "What can we do-?"

Isshin stared at the man. "What do you want? You never visit unless it's important."

Urahara shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop to say hello."

He received as doubtful look from the bearded man. Urahara waved his hand. Hoping that his voice would betray the true severity of the situation. "I come with news on your son."

Isshin's face became more concerned with that statement. "What about him?"

"Can I come in?"

Isshin stood aside to let the other man in. He then led the scientist to the sitting room. Yuzu and Karin where in bed sleeping, so he tried to be as quiet as possible. He sat down and waited for the other man to do the same.

Urahara wasted no time in sitting down, nor did he wait for permission to continue before he launched into his explanation. "Your son didn't run off on his own accord this time."

"Eh? What do you mean? Soul Society forced him?" Isshin pondered.

"No." Urahara replied sharply. "He was taken."

"Taken?"

"By a group that calls themselves the Neo-Gotei."

"Neo-Gotei?" Isshin spoke as if recalling a memory.

"Do you know it?" Urahara sounded almost hopeful.

"Maybe." Isshin shrugged. "I do know that they're dangerous. But there was once a shinigami by the name of Sachio. He served in my squad for a short time before I turned him in for doing evil deeds and plotting against Soul Society."

"Sachio?"

"He didn't give his last name. He recruited a few people then vanished when the authorities came the case was dropped and they hadn't been a problem sense."

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Do you know anything more?"

"Evidentially Sachio has been periodically infiltrating Soul Society himself to recruit for about nine-hundred years but my meddling put a stop to him doing that. So I assume he hates me because he has to trust his underlings."

Urahara nodded. He had suspected that this would come down to Isshin and something in the past. "This doesn't bode well for your son."

"No it doesn't. I can't say that I'm not worried. I am, I know he's strong but this is something that's beyond him."

Urahara nodded once more. "There's a group looking for him. We're close to finding him."

Isshin shrugged. "If you're close to finding him that's good, but can you guarantee that he'll be alive when you find him."

"No."

"That's what I thought." Isshin sighed. "I should've expected this when we returned his powers back to him."

Urahara remained silent for once. He knew that Isshin would still have reservations about giving his son his powers back and taking away and chance of having a normal life. To hear that his son was taken captive by his meddling years ago was something that Urahara couldn't imagine hearing.

The two sat in silence. Isshin apparently lost in thought and Urahara not sure whether or not to leave or remain in case the other had some sort of other detail. To some it'd be a companionable silence. Urahara knew better than that, it was awkward. Though there was one bright side to this visit. Urahara now had one more name to work with. Sachio. By the sounds of it he had figured out the name to the nameless King. Something of an accomplishment. If he could learn the last name he'd be able to learn what power they would be up against.

Providing that Soul Society had records as far back as nine-hundred years. Also that Sachio stuck around long enough for him to get a zanpakuto once they were invented. There were a lot of variables that needed to be eliminated or solved and finding out one piece was only raising more questions. It seemed like a never ending puzzle.

Urahara and Isshin released a sigh at the same time. This was something neither of them wanted to deal with.

* * *

The group woke up in high spirits. They made decent time to Los Noches. Nothing had tried to kill them or even maim them. It had been quiet so far. Toshiro tried to think of it as the deal Tier and he had agreed on but it just didn't seem right.

They were looking at the five extremely tall pillars that made up the palace. There were seven of them. They'd have to partner up.

"Looks like we'll need two partner groups." Rangiku spoke up.

"Ashido and I will be one." Rukia spoke up the moment the tenth squad vice-captain finished her sentence.

The strawberry blonde blinked in surprise before shooting her captain an _I told you so _look. Ashido looked confused but shrugged and walked a little closer to Rukia. The rest of the group remained silent.

Rukia sighed in exasperation. "Come on. Two of you just pair up!"

The shinigami looked around each other nervously. Toshiro could've smacked his palm to his face, if he hadn't deemed that something that a captain wouldn't do… no matter how much the situation called for it. Instead he settled for a harsh look which didn't spur the shinigami into just partnering up.

"Fine. Matsumoto and I will be the second pair." Toshiro practically growled.

Those that weren't pair up looked distinctly happy at the knowledge that they'd be alone. Toshiro sent them a glare for good measure. "Let's get this over with." He spoke.

The moment the words left his mouth seven shinigami were shunpoing five different directions. They had discussed what tower they would be heading up last night before they went to bed. Toshiro and Rangiku had the tower that was the closest to the direction they had come from. Rukia and Ashido were at the tower furthest from their starting point. Ikkaku was at the tower to the right of Toshiro and to the right of Ikkaku was z pillar. Which gave Renji the tower to Toshiro's left.

The climb was an easy one surprisingly. It was still unnerving the young captain. There should be something that was trying to kill them. Not that he was fond of the idea that they were going to be delayed once more, he still liked it better when the hollows were acting like hollows and trying to annoy him. He shook his head. He shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth as the saying went.

Rangiku looked over to see what he captain was doing. He was obviously disturbed about something but what she didn't know. She could guess, but why would she. He was worried about Ichigo and bound to be suspicious about everything that happened, or in this case, didn't happen to them.

The towers were a lot larger than they looked. From the bottom they looked to be maybe a five hundred foot structure but as they climbed the towers it was becoming apparent that they were nowhere near right. The first five hundred feet was about one-third of the actual height. If that wasn't enough it was tiring as well. It was a fully vertical climb and the fact that the shinigami were sore from sleeping on sand and not in beds didn't help them at all.

Toshiro was gritting his teeth. He had an excellent head for heights, which was too be expected with his zanpakuto, and he was used to the thinner air at higher altitudes. He was tiring quickly. He wasn't used to shunpoing up, literally. Looking back he saw that Matsumoto was fairing a little worse than him. The thin not something she was accustomed to dealing with.

He assumed that the others would be doing just as bad. He thought that there was a better way to deal with this instead of just rushing straight up. What kind of traps that they could meet once they got there was something that hadn't left Toshiro's mind? He groaned as he looked up seeing that the distance wasn't getting any shorter. Why did this happen to him?

* * *

Ichigo was annoyed. He had been for a long time in truth. This constant wandering without purpose, and probably in a circle if he was honest with himself was starting to tire him out. It didn't help that the snowstorm had picked up to its full intensity once again. There had been a short break where it was clear and he could walk without fear of crossing over his former tracks. There was still a light snow but it was covering his tracks. He felt like he made a good distance in those couple of days.

He had the feeling that he had been here before. He was sure he hadn't, Ichigo would've thought that he would remember a snowy skyscraper landscape. Though he had the notion that this was a place that he shouldn't be in without someone with him. Someone who was also welcomed to this place. There were random rocks that were made entirely out of ice, like pieces of hail that had never melted, and one of them had an engraving, it was worn and there had been so much time and snow since its creation that it was no longer legible. Though from what Ichigo could tell it was something that looked like the cravings that couples did that said "Him + Her = 4ever". Ichigo shook his head. It was a waste of energy to dwell on things such as that. He would wonder about it later when he wasn't trapped in this snowy world.

His legs gave out on him sending him crashing to the ground. The substitute shinigami groaned, but made no move to get up. Instead he flopped onto his back. He looked up at the sky, he couldn't see it because of the whirling of the snow. He shivered, not because he was cold, he had grown accustomed to that long ago, but because there was something that had invaded this small world. It didn't feel like an intruder however. It was more of an unexpected guest but it wasn't unwelcome.

It looked like the ribbon that had saved him. It was bright white and snaking across the sky. It circled above him. It was powerful he could tell that much. It seemed to stop and it looked down at him, two specks of red staring directly at him. It made a noise that sounded like a relieved moan. Ichigo arched an orange eyebrow at it. The ribbon spun around again.

There was a noise coming from it. Ichigo pushed himself up, the act taking much more effort than it should have. The humming noise that Ichigo had heard before was back, but this time he could hear that it was actually saying words. They were faint and it sounded like they were coming from a radio that had static and was the tiniest bit out of range.

_One… returned…_

The humming sound continued but Ichigo couldn't get any more from it. The sound was fading fast, as was the ribbon of light. Then in a brilliant flash both the sound and the ribbon were gone. All that was proof that something had happen was the confusion that Ichigo felt and the two words he was left with.

"One returned?" He whispered. His voice was scratchy and strained from disuse. It hurt to even speak with it.

He sat cross legged the storm whipping around him. He couldn't get up even if he wanted to. He was too baffled to even try to stand up. Questions where whirling in his mind. What had just happened? What was that ribbon and the humming? Though the most prominent one, and the one that was causing him more confusion. _Why does my heart ache with longing?_

Considering that there was only one person that Ichigo had ever longed for. That being his mother, and that was only because he wanted her back. He was smart enough that he could decipher the difference between the two. The longing that he had felt for him mother was the irrational one created out of grief but could was no longer a possibility. The one that had seized his heart was a rational, how he knew it was he wasn't entirely sure, the thought that he wasn't sure about a lot of things recently flitted through his mind lingering for a split second.

This feeling was something that was lighter with hope he assumed, instead of the weight of despair. He thought that this must be the difference. In some of the American movies he had watched, mainly because he was bored, the wives of the soldiers always acted so hopeful when they knew their husbands could die at any moment. Ichigo thought that this is what he must be feeling. Though comparing himself to a wife was a little degrading.

The question was what was he longing for? To be out of this place, a goal but he wasn't _truly _longing for it. What was going on? Something he would like to know but if this could be resolved without that knowledge then he really didn't care about what it was. He stopped. He didn't even blink, the thought that popped into his mind was something he didn't even think he could come up with. It was the answer to his question. He was longing for someone! Not something. The revelation wasn't exactly comforting. It meant that there was someone that he was missing. That someone could easily be a family member or friend. Though his brain supplied that he would be longing for them this intensely if was someone platonic such as that. Which meant he had done something that he hadn't ever planned on doing. He had a romantic inclination to someone. That scared him, he had seen how people in love acted. He knew it was dangerous as well. He had seen shinigami that were happily married with kids get killed in an instant. Being a shinigami was dangerous, it was even worse when you had someone who depended on you entirely. Loving as a shinigami was setting yourself up for failure, failure at what he wasn't sure but he knew it was a possibility.

As much as he didn't want this longing for an unknown person it also spread a warmth through him. This had given him something a little less dreadful to think about. The first step would be finding out who it was. That would take the longest. Thinking it through. He knew he would be able to tell if he had all of the possibilities standing in front of him. He did wonder how he developed this, he despised the word but couldn't think of another, crush without him knowing. One would think that a person would be able to tell things such as this. It could've developed and he noticed it but shoved it to the back of his mind, because face it, he was pretty busy with trying to stop Aizen and losing his powers. So he thought it was also fair that he wouldn't recognize it.

As he thought more and more about it the more it scared him. Of course he was scared that should he figure it out he could really screw up a friendship, but he was also scared that because of what happened to him. He shook his head. He would try to figure out who it was that he had a crush on. The other things that came with his discovery would have to wait. One step at a time.

* * *

Enyo wasn't one for sentiment. But as she was bored and her King was favoring Yuna at the moment, she scowled at that, she thought she'd see the state that the teen was in. She walked through the halls, drawing looks from the males and some females. She smiled, she did enjoy the good tease once and awhile, she loved playing with people, and it was just too fun.

She hated the blandness of the uniform she was forced to wear, but since she was off duty she was allowed to walk around in casual clothes. She had on a mid-thigh length dress, it was a teal color it had a light shade of teal band stretching across It., and it was of course strapless. She had on a pair of black stilettos.

She walk confidentially towards her goal, she was just down the hallway. As she reached the door she pulled at her dress readjusting it slightly, she pushed back a few odd hairs from her face, today her hair was in a bun. She deemed herself presentable and pushed the door open. Walking inside it quickly she pushed it shut behind her.

She crinkled her nose at the smell. The room smelled of infection and of unwashed bodies. It wasn't a surprise since the teen's wounds had ended up getting infected after all, not that they were trying to stop infections now that he was unusable to them. There were a few people that were assigned to check on the teen's condition, and if they felt like it they could administer something to the teen. She though that the orderlies just enjoyed extending the torture as long as possible for they kept their patients just well enough that they weren't on the edge.

A quick scan of the room and she saw that there was an old IV bag that was connected to the teen's hand. She then allowed her gaze to look over the teen himself. He hadn't been very broad when they brought him in, but he had been well muscled. She could see that the muscles were starting to lose their firmness. The skin was also waxy and ashen. The wounds were turning yellow or green, a few oozing pus and other things that Enyo cared not to know the name of.

Her eyes when to his face. Not eating for a month took a lot out of a human. The face was showing the first signs of malnourishment. His cheek bones were starting to protrude the slightest amount for it to be noticeable. The hair had grown a bit in the time that he had been here, it was matted and covered in filth. It was also plastered to his face with sweat as he was running a significant fever.

His chest was heaving. Every breath that he took was shallow and wheezy. She knew the conditions that he suffered in where deplorable. With injuries as he had, the only thing that kept him from dying because of sickness was the shinigami form he was in. She knew that if she were to get close enough she would be able to smell the sickness on his breath, something she cared not to do because that was beneath her.

Out of curiosity, that was why she was here in the first place anyway, she walked foreword a step and placed two well-manicured fingers on his throat. She felt the pulse after a few seconds of not feeling anything. It was weak, rapid, fluttery, and barely noticeable. She wondered if it was the infection of sickness that was causing the heart act as like that.

Since she was closer now she could see the quickest movement underneath the boy's eyelids. The eyes did a quick movement then were still for a minute or two and did it once again. Enyo pursed her lips, which meant there was little brain activity. She knew that there should be no eye movement. By every rights she should've made him brain dead, you can't be thrown in the pit underneath your soul and still have brain activity.

She furrowed her brows the slightest amount, then corrected herself, she couldn't get wrinkles that would be bad. She simply lost interest in the boy. He was completely screwing with her now. She hated that, she turned on her heel with such force she cause a strand to fall out of her bun and hang in her face. She pushed it behind her ear and walked out of the room. She knew that he was weakened severely now, it'd be easy to get the hollow out and under their control, there was also a good chance that it could kill him now. His body wouldn't be able to support the hollow, and as the hollow takes over the physical body, if the body was too weak to hold the hollows power it would literally be torn apart. Something she cared not to see.

She walked back to her wing. Perhaps a discussion with the king was in order. He would want to hear this news without a doubt. She was also curios as to see what he would do as well. Of course there was another reason that they had the boy other than his hollow, and killing him would give the King great satisfaction. It was win-win for the Neo-Gotei's ruler. She couldn't see how he could complain.

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**How did you all like Chapter 15? I thought it was nice and may have answered some questions? Any who, ready for your preview? Let's go!**

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_Enyo made good time making her way to the King's office. She was sure that he was there, where else would he be? After all he was sure to be getting busy with all of what was going on and about to take place. She nodded to the guards who saluted her as she walked past. She gave two sharp taps to the door, she was gentle as she didn't want to bruise he knuckles but they were loud enough that she knew wouldn't be mistaken as random thumps._

"_Enter." The silky smooth voice called._

_Enyo opened the door and stepped in with grace. She bowed low to the King once she was fully inside. She wouldn't dare raise her head until the King told her to do so, even if this was going to cause unsightly wrinkles in her dress._

"_Rise." He commanded and the Grecian girl did as she was told. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"_

"_Milord, I have something interesting to report." She spoke gently fluttering her eyelashes for no apparent reason other than it was flirty and something she deemed acceptable for her to do._

* * *

**I hope that leaves you all wanting for more. I'll see you all in a week or so. Later! ~IF**


	16. REM means

**Well I am back! Another on time update for me. I don't know how much longer this story is going to be, I'm not anywhere close to the end, and I do have my own Arc to complete. So well yah. I'm just going to give you the chapter and disclaimer and then I'll see you at the bottom. **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND SOME OF THE CHARACTERS**

* * *

Enyo made good time making her way to the King's office. She was sure that he was there, where else would he be? After all he was sure to be getting busy with all of what was going on and about to take place. She nodded to the guards who saluted her as she walked past. She gave two sharp taps to the door, she was gentle as she didn't want to bruise he knuckles but they were loud enough that she knew wouldn't be mistaken as random thumps.

"Enter." The silky smooth voice called.

Enyo opened the door and stepped in with grace. She bowed low to the King once she was fully inside. She wouldn't dare raise her head until the King told her to do so, even if this was going to cause unsightly wrinkles in her dress.

"Rise." He commanded and the Grecian girl did as she was told. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Milord, I have something interesting to report." She spoke gently fluttering her eyelashes for no apparent reason other than it was flirty and something she deemed acceptable for her to do.

The King looked up, he was genuinely interested as Enyo didn't often come down to report things herself deeming it beneath her. "Oh? Let's hear it, my dear."

She tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the pet name. "Naturally, milord." She bowed once again.

When she stood up the King looked ready for her to begin. "On a whim, I went to observe what condition our guest was in. He wasn't a very pretty sight, though he wasn't to begin with, he scowled too much, anyway as I took a closer look I saw that he had REM."

"REM? What's so important about that? Everyone has that." The King said.

"But he shouldn't. By all rights he should be brain dead, after all that's what normally happens when your conscious self disappears. I've used my ability on many, and not one of them ever had REM again."

"Meaning?"

"He is still there on some degree. Meaning he can be saved by those shinigami providing they figure out how, and I can try one more ace to try and get his hollow. If that is milord's wish."

The King leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled together as he thought about something. He chewed on his bottom lip, and Enyo couldn't help but notice that his lips were chapped. Most unsightly, she thought. Finally the King leaned forward his elbows on his desk.

"What happens if you fail? If he retreats further, if he rejects you again?"

Enyo paused, thinking hard. "Then I suppose his very essence will be too torn for repair. He could still be alive, but he'll be nothing more than a body that once was someone."

The king hummed thoughtfully. Enyo cleared her throat indicating that she had more to say than what she already had. "But I expect that the chances of him resisting me once more are very slim. Providing that I can find him in that maze of his."

"Can you guarantee that he will be found?" Sachio inquired.

Enyo shook her head, causing a few more strands to fall out of her bun, but somehow they managed to frame her face perfectly. "No. If he has receded far enough into his mind then only the strongest of bonds can bring him back. Whether they be of hate or love, it matters not. I can guess that there aren't many hateful ones."

The King looked slightly put out. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Hmm, and you can't erase his essence without finding him?"

"I cannot." She spoke carefully.

"What if you managed to get more power?"

Enyo tilted her head considering it for a moment. "It may be easier to find him then."

"Very well." The King spoke once again leaning back. "Thank you for the report, I'll let you know what I've decided later."

Sachio waved his hand and Enyo knew this was sign for her dismissal. She bowed once more and walked out of the office. The door swung shut behind her. Once it did Enyo sighed it was barely noon and she had done everything she wanted to do. She supposed that going back to her room and getting a pedicure was always an option. With that thought in mind she walked off towards her wing.

* * *

Ichigo had felt a strange presence enter this place and leave within seconds. It felt like something was creeping up on him. He had actually physically spun around making sure that he wasn't being follow. But at this point any company would actually be welcomed, even if it was one of his captors. Being alone, it was unnerving, he still had his puzzle about whom he fancied but the creepy feeling had distracted him and leaving his thoughts to wander a different and more dangerous trail.

He had found that more and more often when he wasn't focusing on finding the one who he had affection for they would go into a place in his mind that he had tried to ignore, the dark part of his mind that held all of his _'what ifs' _and _'if onlys'._

He hated when that happened. He always had doubts, what "hero" doesn't. He had felt like the weight of the world had been on his shoulders and still was. He knew by wandering aimlessly he was allowing the sky to slip closer to the earth. Damn, now he was sounding like Enyo and her references to Greek legends. He shook his head. He wasn't Atlas, he wasn't even a demigod but he still felt like he was always sent on quests, granted he volunteered for most of them and it was mostly his fault for starting some of them, but it wasn't the same, there was no oracle giving him shrouded words of his future. Half the time he didn't know if what he was doing was the right thing.

He shook his head trying to dislodge those thoughts. Granted he thought that it was a good thing that he paid attention when the teacher had made them learn about the Greek myths as a genre study in his literature class. But that's not what he needed to compare his situation to at the moment. He had two things that should be his top priorities. One, getting out of here. Two finding out who he had a crush on.

Though he figured that he should know number two. Most people were aware of who they had a crush on and who their type was. Then again Ichigo wasn't exactly normal in those respects, or any. Hell! He wasn't a typical shinigami!

He decided that walking would help him clear his head. Normally he was able to hold a train of thought longer than he was at the moment. It felt like his brain was fuzzy, and he had to blink in order to get rid of the double vision he was experiencing.

He heard the sound of something that was being dropped. Looking up he saw that there was a large stalactite was falling from the sky. Ichigo stumbled backwards attempting to avoid the falling stone. It missed him by about an inch. Surprised he looked up and saw that his vision was still blocked out by the raging snow storm. He couldn't figure out how a stalactite fell from the sky, he wasn't in a cave as far as he knew, and how did a blizzard happen in a cave anyway? Nothing was making sense anymore.

Ichigo sat down, covering his face with his hands and pressing the palms into his eyes. He was trying to get himself to focus as the walking hadn't helped any. Off in the distance he heard more stalactites falling. He still couldn't figure out where they were originating from.

_I'm not much good any more, am I? _He thought to himself, a bitter laugh left his throat. It sounded worse than it should've, his voice still terribly underused. When he used to laugh, on the rare occasion that he was actually laughing at something genuinely funny and not the obnoxious laugh he did when it was someone's expense he was laughing at, it was smooth, gentle, and had a slight breathiness to it. He didn't think he had laughed like that it a long time.

* * *

_25 days since Ichigo went missing_

* * *

Isshin wasn't that surprised when Urahara had visited him yesterday and told him what had happened. In truth he had expected that his past would come and bite him in the ass. He had also figure that _he _would be cruel enough and target his children, or in this case, his only son.

True he could've taken measures to prevent this from happening, but what could he have done. The man's power was something that couldn't be underestimated, at least when he knew him, the power was undoubtedly impressive but it was used so evilly.

He had kept a few things from his wife, where she had told him everything. He only kept his secrets out of pure necessity, though Masaki probably was able to figure some things out. She hadn't been stupid, she had played ignorant but she had been one of the smartest people he knew.

Still he wasn't sure what he should do. If Soul Society was actually looking for Ichigo, and Urahara was helping, he would be found sooner or later. But sitting around doing nothing wasn't very fatherly of him. But he had Yuzu and Karin to think about as well and if he and Ichigo both ended up dead then who would take care of them? The bearded man looked over to the poster of his beloved.

"What should I do?" He asked it. His tone was no more than a whisper, and that of a confused man. As expected the poster remained silent and unhelpful.

* * *

Urahara was never a worrier. Sure he was someone who would mildly concerned if you were bleeding out on his carpet, but even then he was more concerned about the carpet staining than the actual person. He tended to claim that he was distant from people because they didn't understand him, and he understood his inventions better than most people.

But right now he was defiantly worried. About more than one thing at that. He was worried about how little information that they had about the Neo-Gotei, how were they supposed to fight when they were practically blind? He was worried about creating a portal to this pocket dimension, he had decided to classify it at that as it was the closest thing in definition that covered the anomaly. He had never created something that would lead someone into a place he had no clue how it was design, he could put the group into the middle of the meeting room during a meeting. He was worried that with the equipment that he had created wouldn't be able to find the dimension or get an exact location, then it really wouldn't help his impromptu doorway.

Most of all he was worried about Ichigo. The kid was tough, undoubtedly, he had seen the hit's the kid was able to take and continue to fight unhindered. But there was more than being tough, he was strong physically, but had trouble emotionally. He didn't have a good track record with emotions which was a liability to him, and something that these people would be able to pick up on quickly. There was also the part where he had no idea on how cruel the ex-shinigami would be able to be; he had a sinking feeling that they would be able to be extremely cruel if they wanted to. There were a lot of things he didn't know. He also was certain that Ichigo's wounds that he suffered in the initial encounter would have been healed or even proper treated, there was a better chance that they were used against him.

His mind paused in his thoughts. It was like someone had hit the emergency break. The initial encounter! It was in a public place and that there would be video cameras! Sure the humans wouldn't be able to pick up shinigami but he knew that the cameras would still be able to capture the shinigami as if they were regular humans.

He dashed to his computer and started to look for the cities video archive. Once that was found he set to work hacking it. He knew that it seemed weird that he knew human skills but it was proving useful at the moment.

A few seconds later and there was a large file downloading onto his computer. Once it was finished he opened it up and looked for the correct date. He found it as it was near the top and was the next in line to be used to start a cd so that it could still be accessed but it wouldn't be taking up memory. He was lucky he got to it when he did.

He sped it up until the evening then he watched as people filtered through, he kept changing cameras not sure where the encounter actually took place. He stopped when he saw the gate that Yuna had used and he saw five shadows emerge. A little while later and Ichigo showed up.

Urahara couldn't believe his luck at finding this! They now had five actual faces of the Neo-Gotei and two of their number's shikai. It wouldn't help with finding Ichigo, but it would help Soul Society if it came to war, and it was looking like it would.

He picked out the faces, they weren't as good as they should be. Three of them were perfect, and he did stop to wonder why the playground had more security cameras around it than most stores had in them.

He could identify Yuna. She was the one that had accidentally looked at the camera dead on. The next on was of a large man that had only one ear, he had been standing in the view of the camera and his face was clear. The third clearest one was actually extremely clear. She was exceptionally beautiful and he knew that if he knew who she was he wouldn't forget her face. The other two were more challenging to get a clear enough image of, they hadn't strayed from the shadows that much but the pictures that he was able to get would have to suffice.

He began to run through a facial recognition system that he had from when he was in the second squad. It would take a while as the system was so old that they still had drawings of some of the ancient shinigami that have long since died, retired, or gotten a promotion. Urahara leaned back, he felt like was doing some good now.

Even if he was still worried about Ichigo, but now he had something to focus on, which was a big relief for him.

* * *

The five groups had reached the top of the pillars now. It was a disturbingly beautiful sight. The bone white sands of Hueco Mundo covered the entirety of world and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was like an ocean shore, without the ocean.

The groups pulled out their devices and started to scan for the location of the anomaly. Hums and beeps filled the relative silence as the devices did their job. The screen of them was lit up, waves of different colors appeared there and vanished, though one stayed the same, Toshiro could only guess that the wave that remained was the frequency they were trying to find a match to. Another thought was, why were their so many other frequencies, were they from the hollows? Or were they from other anomalies that they had yet to find. It was a question for another day.

The devices must've been scanning every wave in their vicinity because it was taking forever, at least to the white haired captain. It was about an hour before there was a brief burst of static and Ikkaku's voice came through the speakers of the device.

"No luck over here. Its saying there isn't any more waves for it to scan and there wasn't a match."

Toshiro pressed the button to speak. "Alright. That means that we know what direction not to go."

There was silence as everyone continued to watch the screen. Rangiku was getting bored, the waves had been interesting for the first five minutes or so, and there was an unspoken excitement about getting one step closer to their goal, but that feeling wore off quickly with the lack of progress. The strawberry-blonde was uncertain about how her captain would act if this led them to another dead end. They had run into so many already.

The next to check in was Renji. "Nothing over here."

The report didn't prompt a response from the team leader. Rangiku watched her captain, apparently engrossed in the little screen.

Toshiro stared at the screen, not really seeing anything. A sense of foreboding had crept up on him, and he didn't like it. So far all they had accomplished was getting to the top of insanely high pillars and the devices were taking too long and not providing the results Toshiro wanted. The white haired shinigami wondered when he had become so impatient, previously he had proven to be one of the more patient captains, but now he certainly was acting his physical age.

Though when he actually focused on the device once again he saw that the previously erratic waves were starting to get closer and closer to the sample waves. He thought that it was progress, but truth be told he didn't really know much about waves and frequencies and things of that nature, he was a genius, but only when it came to things that had to do with being a shinigami.

The next one to call in was Yumichika. "Nothing over here as well."

Toshiro nodded though no one but his vice-captain could see. He figure that it was either him or Rukia and Ashido that would have the right frequencies. Now all they had to do was wait to see who would have the right one. Waiting was starting to get tiresome and repetitive to Toshiro, they had done enough of that and right now all he wanted to do was get Ichigo back.

The young captain wondered why he sounded so determined and needy at the same time. From the beginning he had been determined to get Ichigo back, it was a given for that. The substitute shinigami had helped Soul Society a lot in recent times, and there was something about the teen that compelled people to be more adamant in their decisions or to change their ways. Toshiro also thought that he owed it to Ichigo after the whole Kusaka incident, the teen had been so willing to help without knowing what he would be getting into.

Toshiro would've smiled if the situation wasn't so grim. _That's essentially what I'm doing. I have no idea what's going to be waiting for us beyond the anomaly._

It was fifteen minutes before Toshiro's scanner lit up with a message. Toshiro read it greedily, but felt his face fall as he finished. Rangiku had heard the message alert and came to read it herself. She too felt her face fall.

_'Cannot detect any more waves, no matches found.'_

"Dammit!" Toshiro cursed.

Rangiku gave her captain a saddened look. Since her captain didn't look like he was in the mood to talk to anyone she took the device and pressed the button so that she would be heard.

"No luck over this direction." She mumbled into it.

There was silence. Rangiku figured that it was because there was only one remaining scanner. If that one came up blank then they would have to report a mission failure to Urahara. That was something that nobody wanted to do, especially after all of their setbacks. One could try to find something good about the situation, maybe that they were going to bring back a shinigami that was proficient in killing hollows and might be able to help them in the fight against them.

Not three minutes later came Rukia's voice. "We've got a 98% match!" She was trying to hold back her excitement, as he voice was a few decibels higher than normal and there was a happy tremor as she spoke.

"We'll be right over." Rangiku spoke.

Toshiro had looked up when Rukia reported as success. Happiness and something else shone in his eyes. The two shinigami flash stepped over to the pillar where Rukia and Ashido were. The others arrived seconds after they did. Rukia was fiddling with the device trying to get something out of it.

"According to this," Rukia held up the device, "there is something that matches our sample. It's a good distance away as well."

Toshiro crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Even if it's across this world our mission is to get the coordinates for the anomaly and get back to Urahara-san."

Rangiku nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! We'll be able to cover a lot of distance today if we start now!"

There was a nod of assent from the group, but nobody wanted to be the first one to make the move towards getting started, for whatever reason,

Renji finally spoke up. "What are you waiting for? Let's get a move on!"

Renji then proceeded to jump off of the pillar. Rukia looked annoyed. "Renji you fool! You don't even know what way to go!"

She jumped down after him, Ashido not sure what to do followed. The others that remained looked a little baffled at the sudden burst of energy, no that wasn't the right word Toshiro decided, it was the sudden bust of normalcy that was confusing. Ichigo was still missing but everyone was starting to ask as if he had never gotten captured in the first place.

Toshiro jumped down a long with the others. His vice-captain was right the more efficient they were with their time the sooner this part of the mission would be over with. The sooner they could get Ichigo back.

* * *

**There you all have it! Didn't this used to be updated on Thursdays? Anyway I should give you the preview now yes?**

* * *

_When night fell on Hueco Mundo two figures walked into the room where the prisoner was being held. The room had been remodeled somewhat instead of being just a singular bed there were two chairs, a table, and a pitcher of water. The teen's bed still remained the center of attention when walking into the room._

_The two figures each took a chair. Neither of them looking pleased with their situation. "Why do I have to help you?"_

_"Our King ordered it such." Enyo replied._

* * *

**It's the shortest preview yet I know but I didn't have time to write more before I needed to get this up so I'll be off to write chapter 17! Later!~IF **


	17. Partners, the good and bad

**Hey all! Welcome back. I almost didn't get this chapter posted today because I've been sicker than a dog for the past three days or so. That being said, I'm probably going to late updating next week, so I apologize. Any how… .thanks to Kaga Kurai, urugushinigami, Phantom Claire, Mer-mer, and AngryHitsu for leaving your reviews. Now onto the chapter while I go take more medication and I'll see you at the bottom!**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY SOME OF THE OCS AND THE PLOT**

* * *

When night fell on Hueco Mundo two figures walked into the room where the prisoner was being held. The room had been remodeled somewhat instead of being just a singular bed there were two chairs, a table, and a pitcher of water. The teen's bed still remained the center of attention when walking into the room.

The two figures each took a chair. Neither of them looking pleased with their situation. "Why do I have to help you?"

"Our King ordered it such." Enyo replied.

"I know that much. But how am I supposed to help the queen of mindfucking with something I have no clue about?" Yuna growled.

Enyo scowled before flipping her hair and replying. "Your demoness abilities might be needed."

"Right." Yuna snorted.

"They most likely won't be needed, however." Enyo spoke.

Yuna rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, yeah. Just get this over with."

Enyo flipped her hair once more. "Gladly."

Enyo remain standing. "Entrap, Suneeku Chixeen."

As she said that her blade started to glow and extend until it was the whip. She cracked it once. "Bankai." She spoke and the whip started to crawl up her arm, across her back, and down the other arm.

"Kokoro no Rensa."

Yuna rolled her eyes. She didn't enjoy the time wasting that Enyo was doing. She had something more important to be doing she was sure, but the King had ordered to stay with Enyo while she attempted one last time to get the kid's hollow out of him. It was an annoying order, but she wouldn't be the one to disobey the king, first, at least. Besides this might prove interesting if Enyo fails the King again.

Enyo stuck her hand out in front of her spreading her fingers as wide as they could go. She muttered something in Greek and there was a brilliant flash, then there was nothing, Enyo was completely still, she wasn't even blinking. Out of mild curiosity Yuna waved her hand in front of Enyo's face. Nothing. Yuna arched a pale blue eyebrow but returned to her seat. She swung her legs up onto the bed.

"Might as well catch some shut eye." She murmured into the room.

Enyo looked around. She was in Ichigo's inner world that was for sure, she wouldn't be one to forget the skyscrapers reaching towards the sky. She closed her eyes trying to sense any sort of presence, unsurprisingly there was none. She spun around slowly, making sure that she was completely alone and that one of the inner world's residences wasn't hiding itself behind her. She found that no one was there.

She looked down at her feet, the foundations of the skyscrapers were cracking. They weren't minute hairline fractures, they were large enough that she could stick her entire foot into them, and they were making their way towards the top.

Leaping over the crack she headed towards the soul's chamber, hoping to find answers there. It was a longer walk than last time, Enyo wondered if it was because the closer she got to the soul chamber the more cracks appeared and the larger they were. The immediate area around the soul was nearly destroyed. There was piles of debris, the cracks were the largest that had been, and there was even a large crevice that separated her from the actual soul.

In one graceful jump she cleared the crevice. The soul had noticed her presence and the band that had been there before lashed out at her. She had to get out of the way before it impaled her. The band receded and continued to wrap around Ichigo's soul.

Enyo snorted. This was proving to be a huge waste of time, she was being attacked by things that don't really exist. She walked around looking for the form of the teen. If he wasn't brain dead like most people who fall into the pit beneath their soul, then he had to been near enough to it. Enyo knew better than anyone, prolonged exposure to one's soul could be a bad thing, not that she would care if that happened to the teen. After all the King's attitude towards him was that he was a means to an end.

She saw no sign of the teen. Crossing her arms she focused on the other side of the pit. She didn't sense any other presence, and she should even if it was barely there. It could've been the soul interfering but the interference that it would've caused wouldn't have been enough to hinder her.

After a few minutes of consideration Enyo decided that the teen wasn't here, and that he wasn't in his inner world. She huffed in annoyance, she knew exactly what had happened and he was out of reach for everyone but a singular person. Though the tricky part would be to find that person, unless of course the teen and that person knew about it. She shook her head, it didn't matter the teen would be physically dead by the time his rescue team got to him. It would take on hell of a healer to save his body,

Enyo walked back towards the main area of the inner world. Pausing when she spotted a crack that was further up the skyscraper than the others. Walking to the end of it she slammed her blade down causing the crack to speed up to the top, Enyo batted away the bits of debris that showered down from the crack. It would only be a matter of time before this whole place fell onto its foundations,

Giving an unusually loud snap, Enyo closed her eyes and felt her fade from the inner world. She figured that this was nothing more than a feeble attempt to reconcile for what she knew the King counted as a failure. It was more of a waste of time than anything, though it should've weakened his body some more, so there was a less of a chance that he would make it out alive. That gave her some peace.

The Grecian opened her eyes back into the "hospital room." Smirking as she saw the trickle of blood flow down the teen's face. He wouldn't last much longer, that she was sure of, and her appearing into his inner would weakened him that much more. She guessed his body wouldn't last two more days. It was a pity, not that she cared much for the teen himself but having the hollow would've given them a clear advantage in power, the had a slight one, but it wasn't much, the hollow would've guaranteed that whatever shinigami faced it would be killed, because the hollow had no remorse, and at the end of the day all of the destruction that the hollow would've caused would've created poor shelter for the Gotei.

A soft snore jarred her out of her musings. She turned towards the sound, only to find Yuna asleep, her chair tipping back dangerously. Enyo kicked the chair sending the girl sprawling backwards. Yuna woke up and glared.

"What was that for?"

"What was what for?"

Yuna stood up and brushed herself off. "Kicking my chair backwards."

"You fell back, when I returned you chair was tipping dangerously."

Enyo ignore whatever profanity escaped the other shinigami's mouth and began to head towards the door. She didn't wait at the door for her companion but instead walked through the door not sparing the other a glance.

Yuna growled. "She needs to show more respect to me."

The blue haired girl looked at the teen laying in the bed. She pursed her lips. His condition had worsened, walking towards him she tilted her head observing him. This was the first time she had seen him since his move, she knew Enyo was charged with the task of converting him over to their side, but it seemed she was failing. Yuna placed a hand over the teen's heart, feeling the slow and unsteady beat. She removed it.

"To bad he's unconscious." She mumbled.

She drew a single symbol in the air, watching as her demon magic started to work. It wasn't an overly powerful technique, and it wasn't truly magic, it was like the shinigami's kido. The spell finally took effect, she could see the life force of the teen, but it was barely there. Life force was based on the color of the aura. If was vibrant and you could make a clear distinction of the color then the person was alive and nothing was hindering them. But the teen's, which she guessed was a bright orange color had faded into a near white that looked like the orange was staining it.

"That's too bad for him." Yuna spoke, "I'm sure the demons could've struck a deal with him."

She turned around to walk out of the room. Not caring about the teen anymore, she had satisfied her curiosity for now. Yuna needed to find Enyo so that they could report to the King together otherwise she'd have to explain why she was in the guest's room longer than Enyo was. _You don't lie to the King. _Yuna thought. She knew that Sachio didn't tolerate liars, and the half-demon wasn't ready to expose her ace just yet, certainly not when _she _was floating around.

* * *

Night had too fallen quickly for the seven shinigami. Being caught up in the excitement of finding a lead, they had failed to notice the passing of time and night had snuck up on them. The group had begrudgingly set up camp for the night, they were still quite a distance away from their destination, and the night was proving to be a cold one but they couldn't find any fuel for a fire, so would have to suffer with it.

The high spirits remained however. As a captain Toshiro was pleased, a high morale meant there was a higher chance of success. Though he guessed that sleeping out in the middle of an unfriendly world in the cold would lower it, but he wasn't sure how much it would lower, he hoped it wouldn't be that much. He couldn't imagine it if they failed on such a simple task. All they had to do was get the coordinates and then get back to Urahara then they it was up to the ex-captain to get them into the place.

Toshiro sighed, it was going to take more time that way but he highly doubted that the Neo-Gotei would be welcoming enough to let them into their lair and get Ichigo. Rangiku looked towards him when he sighed. He waved his hand towards her to dismiss her attention.

The young captain couldn't help but wonder about what Yuna had said about them knowing about the Gotei 13's plans. It was almost certain that it meant they had spies, but who? Toshiro wondered how the Gotei 13 had become so easy to infiltrate. True they were still recovering from Aizen's attack last year, and there had been a few losses and there was a sense of discord, so yes they weren't as organized as usual. Toshiro had a feeling that the spies had been in the squad longer than Aizen, possibly as long as 110years ago. Which if that was true then whoever the mastermind of the Neo-Gotei was good, and very patient.

Toshiro laid on his back. Looking up at the sky, not surprised by the distinct lack of stars in the sky. He sighed and closed his eyes. Hyorinmaru made a sound in his head, making Toshiro think that the dragon wanted to talk to him. Since he doubted this was about getting stronger he would just meditate, but make it look like he was sleeping.

The moment that he was comfortable he felt the familiar tug on his consciousness as he went into his inner world. The snow was blowing harsher than it normally did when he visited, due to the inner turmoil he was going through. The confusing thought about why he was hearing Ichigo's voice.

* * *

_The young captain looked up to the Ice dragon who was looking restless. The large dragon turned to look at him, the red eyes landing on the white haired captain's teal orbs. The dragon hummed a greeting and Toshiro returned the greeting with a nod._

'_So you've finally decided to listen to me?' The dragon thought._

'_I didn't hear you. I was preoccupied. Sorry about that.' Toshiro thought back_

'_So it would seem.' The dragon sounded like it was amused._

_Toshiro sighed in irritation. 'What was so important that you requested my presence for?'_

'_A few things.' The dragon, if it had shoulders it would've shrugged._

'_Which are?'_

'_One being that you could still here me. Another is to warn you. The last reason is I have a question.' The dragon hummed._

'_Okay. One down. Why do I need a warning? I know these guys are dangerous.'_

_The dragon blew air out of its nose. 'They are. But what you do here is going to send something much older and much more devastating into action.'_

'_Something more serious than soul society being destroyed?' Toshiro almost scoffed, but remembered whose presence he was in._

'_It transcends the needs of the mortals, it's something much deeper than pathetic squabbles over power.' The dragon rumbled._

_Toshiro felt that it was best to change the course of the conversation, even if the dragon was the spirit that resided in his soul, it was still a _dragon. _After all._

'_What sort of ancient devastating thing will be set into action?'_

'_Something that precedes even an ancient dragon.'_

_Toshiro shuddered involuntarily. The dragon sounded incredibly grave when it spoke about this ancient horror. Since he had little to go on Toshiro figured that taking heed of a warning would be beneficial in the long run, if there was one._

_Toshiro suddenly recalled one more thing 'You said you had a question?'_

'_How much do you know of bonds? The type that are connected to the soul, and not just to the heart?'_

_Toshiro blinked at the dragon. Surely it had to know what its partner knew._

'_I know what you feel and how you feel but not your individual knowledge unless you share it with me.' The dragon supplied helpfully._

_The young captain shrugged. 'I know very little, in truth. I know that some bonds are strong enough to withstand the test of time, but they are quiet rare. If you find your love one in Soul Society, then those people are soul mates. Should they be reborn they find each other time after time.'_

_The dragon nodded its massive head. 'Then you are well on your way. I cannot help you more than that. But let it be known, a very strong bond is starting to awaken. This may be the key to stopping whatever is going to happen.'_

_Toshiro stared up at the massive dragon. For what seemed to be the first time in his life really looking at the dragon. It seemed older than he originally though, he wasn't an expert on dragons or anything but he could tell that the dragon was older than it was letting on. If the size was anything to go on. When Hyorinmaru was in the physical world he wasn't as nearly as big. Toshiro felt awed that this dragon had lent him its strength._

'_Go now child. You'll need as much rest. The worst is yet to come.'_

* * *

Toshiro opened his eyes to see that it was still dark, and judging by the moon's position it had been only an hour since they had made camp. Toshiro turned onto his side. His full intent was to use the rest of the time for sleep.

Rukia was talking in a muted voice to Ashido, telling him about all he had missed in his absence. She had been extremely excited when she had gotten the notification that there was a match in her vicinity. She thought that it was a sign. Rukia wasn't one to believe in a clichés like that, but she did think that it was destiny that she would find Ichigo. After all she had been the one to find him originally, though it wasn't like he was lost the first time.

Since the first time that she met him, Rukia had though that they were intertwined, not in the romantic sense either, like everyone thought when she explained the feeling to her. She knew that she wouldn't have Ichigo's heart, and originally she might've felt something akin to disappointment, but she had move past that, Orihime wouldn't have Ichigo's heart, the poor girl had never been told otherwise and hadn't come to that conclusion herself yet. Rukia wondered if she should intervene.

She noticed that Ashido was looking at her. Rukia blinked. "Sorry, my thoughts were wandering."

"About Ichigo?" Ashido asked.

"Yeah, I hope he's alright." Rukia mumbled.

"You two seem very close." Ashido remarked. It was a gently pry for information.

"We are. Living in someone's closet tends to do that." She smiled at the confused look that she got. "That's a story for another time. But I do feel responsible for him. It's my fault he got thrown into this world, and he still is a kid, no matter how much he denies it."

Ashido was quiet for a few minutes, then he spoke once again. "He can take care of himself can't he? From what I've heard, he's incredibly strong."

"He can take care of himself when he's fighting. But in the other aspects of his life, he really can't do anything. I mean he's seventeen and he's never had a girlfriend or boyfriend!"

"Maybe he is waiting for someone to be interested in him." Ashido supplied.

Rukia shook her head. "He's had plenty of people interested in him, so that's not the answer."

The man chewed on his lip. "I see your point."

"He's so dense about those things!" Rukia said irritably.

Ashido put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I don't doubt you. But maybe he's more aware than he seems."

Rukia shrugged. "Maybe, but I doubt it. He's too focused on protecting people and fighting than interacting with people. I don't blame him."

Ashido and Rukia sunk into a comfortable silence. The camp was quieting down a few people where still speaking, namely Yumichika and Ikkaku. They were silent in their communications so unless you were actually in their conversation you couldn't hear them.

Rukia looked away from Ashido's profile and stared up at the moon. It was so different from the moon of Soul Society and the Living World. This moon seemed unwelcoming, secretive, and lifeless. Whereas the moon in the World of the Living was friendly, mysterious, and so full of life. Though Rukia wondered how a moon showed life. She just thought that the moon on the night that she met Ichigo was the most beautiful moon that she had ever seen. It had been a full moon and it had been bright, so the world had been bathed in the eerie white glow of the moon. But instead of causing a sense of unease it had caused beauty.

People where starting to turn in for the night and Rukia decided that she would try to get some rest as well. She settled down, curling herself into a tight ball, after sleeping in a closet for so long she had developed the sleeping habit of making herself as small as possible.

Rukia let out a sigh. She remembered laughing silently at Ichigo when he had wiggled around a bit too much and had random parts of him hanging off of the bed, sometimes he even fell out of bed. She wondered if he was getting enough sleep, or was he being tortured twenty-four seven. She snuggled deeper into the shifting sand. She'd find out soon enough. They all would.

* * *

_26 days since Ichigo went missing._

The morning was bright. It actually felt like a desert, but just not as hot as a normal one. The team was packing up their camp. It took them a good hour or so before they actually were ready to get a move on.

Rukia and Ashido planned on taking turns leading the group as they were the ones that found the anomaly. The rest would take turns leaving the group for a quick perimeter check. It was more of a precaution than anything. There was no way to tell when one of the Neo-Gotei would try to attack them, like Masao had.

Toshiro didn't enjoy heat that much. Being an ice-zanpakuto user tended to make him prefer the cold. It wasn't him, he didn't like the heat before he became a shinigami but it was worse when he got his zanpakuto, the dragon hated the heat and he made sure that Toshiro would know when it was too hot. For being a dragon, Hyorinmaru certainly complained a lot. Right now it was nearing 80 degrees already and the dragon was making a pathetic whining noise trying to get its master's attention, no unlike a dog.

The others were starting to feel the heat as well. "If this is what it's like in the morning, high noon is going to be awful." Yumichika grumbled.

"Deserts are notorious for being hot." Ashido replied unhelpfully.

"Matsumoto replied in an unusually smart tone. We might need to stop if it gets too hot, fighting while having a heat stroke doesn't seem like a good idea."

There was a grumbled of assent but everyone could tell that the idea wasn't a welcomed accepted one. They wanted to find Ichigo as soon as possible. But they did know that they would be facing tough opponents and being in less than perfect heath would get you killed in a heartbeat.

Though Urahara stated that they only needed to get the coordinates and he would do the rest so if they needed they could get a few days of rest. That was assuming that there wasn't any sort of guard as well. Toshiro, as much as he would like to believe the Neo-Gotei was cocky enough to forgo guards, he knew that his team wouldn't be that lucky.

The group trekked on in relative silence, other than the occasion comment about something, complaint, or Rukia and Ashido conferring over what Toshiro assumed were directions. The only way they could tell that time was actually passing was because of the sun moving across the sky. That was one of the more annoying things about deserts Toshiro decided, everything looked the same.

Since they were walking in a mostly straight line Toshiro allowed his thoughts to wander with the memory of what happened last night when he had talked to Hyorinmaru. The dragon had mentioned bonds, the white haired captain wondered what that had to do with anything. He was genius, and evidentially the bond was something they needed to stop this unknown threat but it wouldn't matter if the two members of the bond didn't know of its existence.

It was baffling. Something had happened and it was setting too many things in motion too fast. Toshiro had to wonder why _mentors, _he used the word loosely here, had to be so damn cryptic when they attempted to provide aid.

The line had paused while Ashido and Rukia searched for the direction of the wave having lost it or something along those line. Toshiro felt an unnatural fear creep into his heart. Something terrible was happening to Ichigo, he just didn't know what. All he knew was that he needed to get to the substitute shinigami as fast as possible. But he knew he couldn't let his worry shine outwardly, it would only cause to worry the others and that might cause them to lose focus. They couldn't have that. Toshiro knew that it was now a race against time more than ever, and what was worse, it was approaching high noon, and they were still a long distance from the base.

* * *

**Woot! Made it to the bottom and I'm about dead with exhaustion so don't blame me if the preview is short. So here ya go.**

* * *

_Ichigo really began to wonder if his wandering had any meaning at all. Maybe it was some sort of spiritual journey that he was supposed to engage in and find something out that he didn't know and once he found out what he needed this dammed snow would stop. Okay so maybe he was grasping at straws but when one was wandering around in a wasteland getting nowhere, on tends to grasp at straws. Ichigo got up and started what he assumed was his daily wandering._

* * *

**There you all are! Hope you enjoy, leave your thoughts, and all of that. I'm off to curl up in a corner. Later! ~IF**


	18. New Teammates and Time Constraints

**I've felt like crap this last week and almost missed an update, but hey, I managed to finish it and upload it on time, aren't you all special? This is a fairly long chapter, surprisingly considering I wrote this while ill, so if I miss anything major grammar wise forgive me. Thanks to KageNekoReborn, Kage Kurai, Phantom Claire, Guest 1, Guest 2, and AngryHitsu! **

** Guest 2: I'm not sure how much longer it will be, at the moment I'm figuring a solid 30 chapters in this story, and then I'll be writing the sequel to it, because how I picture this story going it'll need the two stories to convey what I envision, and the sequel will probably be another 30chapters or so and will take a different view. Also all submitted characters will make an appearance, if not this fic, then its sequel. I do hope this answers your questions. **

**Anyway let's get to the main event! **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND SOME OF THE OCs.**

* * *

Ichigo really began to wonder if his wandering had any meaning at all. Maybe it was some sort of spiritual journey that he was supposed to engage in and find something out that he didn't know and once he found out what he needed this dammed snow would stop. Okay so maybe he was grasping at straws but when one was wandering around in a wasteland getting nowhere, on tends to grasp at straws. Ichigo got up and started what he assumed was his daily wandering.

Time didn't exist here. Ichigo knew that it had to have been at least a week or more sense he had entered this place, it seemed longer, and then it seemed like no time had passed at all. It didn't help that the humming sound which seemed to have taken permanent residence in this world, was wearing on his nerves. At first it had been a relief to have something other than the howling of the blizzard and the crunch of snow as he walked. But all the humming was one note played constantly never changing in pitch or and variations at all. There was no variation and Ichigo was sure if he ever found out where the origin of the humming was he'd waste no time dispatching it.

Constant noises could be disconcerting. Ichigo was surround by two at all times, the only times there was another sound was when he was walking, or in a rare moment spoke aloud hoping to get some sort of response back that wasn't him cringing at how pitiful he felt. He truly felt alone for the first time in his life, in the physical and emotional sense of the word.

Decided that dwelling on his predicament wouldn't change anything he pressed on. Ichigo wasn't sure about what would come from his aimless wanderings but he had fooled himself into thinking that he was accomplishing something, other than tiring his mental self out. Really? How did you get tired when you aren't technically there?

He shook his head, his thoughts were wandering. These days it was harder to keep his thoughts focused. He hadn't made any progress in finding out who he had a crush on, though he did come to the conclusion that it had to be a shinigami. Not that it helped him any, Ichigo had come to the conclusion that he would actually have to see that person before he was able to come to a definitive conclusion. That is if he ever saw another human being outside of his dreams, where they got killed, or his nightmares involving the Neo-Gotei.

Trudging on through the bitter wind and whipping snow, he headed off in the same direction he had been following since the sound of humming had been fleeting and a onetime thing. It had given him a sense of purpose. Following this particular direction might end up killing him, but it was better than circles, which would kill him, if his mental self could be killed.

_That sounded… cheerful. _Ichigo thought wistfully. He wasn't one to think that anything was impossible but as he looked around and the only thing that he could see was the snowstorm and his quickly vanishing tracks, he was starting to think that this was.

Ichigo smiled grimly. He was the savior of sole society. He had mastered Bankai in a matter of weeks, when it took years most of the time. He had broken into Soul Society and had fought the third seat of the eleventh, the fought the captain of the eleventh, the vice-captain of the sixth, and the captain of sixth. It seemed anti-climactic to die in a mind induced snowstorm caused by a group of people with a vengeance. But then again, how was he expecting to die? In some over glorified battle where the odds of him achieving victory were so astronomical that he actually did die?

Actually, that is really how he envisioned himself dying.

_But… If I die, then this would all stop. This snowstorm, the torture, and this loneliness._ Ichigo thought.

Just as he finished his thought a jolt of pain ripped through him as he crumpled through the floor. He had fallen in the position of ultimate submission. This would've been mortifying to him as he was such a proud man, if the pain hadn't been so terrible.

_What the hell is happening? _Ichigo thought just before he blacked out.

* * *

Yuna was observing the newest Premier, the best that she could at least. It was hard to observe someone when shadows seemed to be distorting their form. Yuna wasn't one to distrust the King. In fact she trusted him completely when it came to the plans for destroying Soul Society, but after that she wasn't so sure. But this girl seemed like one that shouldn't be taken at face value. They knew nothing about her. By 'they', Yuna meant the other premiers. The King was sure to know everyone he brought into his inner circle, but that didn't mean Yuna had to trust them.

She had attempted to look up the newest premier in the archives but found that she didn't exist. Which made the half demon all the more suspicious of Kurai. So she had settled for the good old technique of following someone to learn about them. This really should've been Tadashi's job as Kurai was taking over Masao's position of being his partner.

Though they were only partners on missions, and missions were rare. Sachio didn't want Soul Society to learn of them too far in advance, lest that resulted giving the current Gotei thirteen even more of a chance of beating them. Though it's not like knowing who they were would help the shinigami dogs anyway.

In her musing she notice that the Premier of the Justice Cell had vanished. "Damn." Yuna muttered before leaping off one of the ceiling beams.

"Who the hell names their cell the justice cell?" Yuna said not caring who heard. "If we aren't careful we'll have another Kaname Tosen running around."

Having nothing more pressing to do she started to wander around their headquarters. Having been here for so long she knew the place like the back of her hand. Soon enough the shinigami that Masao failed to kill would be knocking on their door and Yuna had a score to settle.

* * *

Sachio sat behind his desk looking over the reports that his scouts had sent him. The shinigami had managed to find where his base was after all. There was no doubt that Urahara was behind that annoyance. If they thought that they'd be able to catch the Neo-Gotei unaware they were horribly mistaken.

Yuna had her cell spread out around and in their headquarters. Truth be told Yuna's cell was the most obedient. Though the reason they were was because they had heard the stories of Yuna unleashing her full demon power. Sachio hadn't even seen it, but he was sure it was impressive and frightful.

If the shinigami even tried to get within 100 meters of their base they'd be met with fifteen guards, though they were weak it'd be no easy challenge for seven shinigami. Of course Sachio knew that the shinigami could win the battle, while it was setback in his numbers it wasn't life threatening, and they'd be tired. Making them easy for Yuna and her cell to kill.

Sachio put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. An idea had struck him. Among the shinigami sent to spy on him there was a captain. He knew almost everything about Soul Society from memory and from reports his other premiers had given him, but he wasn't sure about what the captains' could be hiding. Enyo would make short work of the squad ten captain's resistance to betraying Soul Society. After all, no one was able to resist Enyo when she wanted to know something.

With that in mind he sent a hell crow to Yuna. Hell crows were a more skewed version of a hell butterfly. Besides they were a lot harder to ignore. He had told Yuna to keep the captain alive as he was needed.

Sachio leaned back in his chair. His problems about to be solved for him. All that awaited him was paperwork so he thought that a walk was in order. Perhaps he would see how fast the teenager was deteriorating. The King of Neo-Gotei stood up, a creepy smile on his face.

* * *

The sense of urgency that had been with the group since it had been formed was prominent now. They were moving at a slightly faster pace than they have been. It wasn't fast enough to make up the distance they would be losing in the two hours that they would have to stop. Previously they hadn't lost that much time sticking to the odd shadow or two once they found them and resting in them. Out in the middle of Hueco Mundo, it was completely barren, adding to the sense of despair that had taken residence in the group. There was something inherently depressing about looking ahead of you and looking behind you and seeing that it looks exactly the same, as if you hadn't made any progress at all.

Luckily the seven shinigami knew that they were getting closer because the waves were getting stronger, according to Rukia and Ashido. Any progress at this point was welcome news. It was getting hotter and tempers were beginning to flare.

Toshiro was eyeing his group with caution. He knew that heat and short fuses tended to not go well together and he really didn't want to write a report about how his group was surprises because of an argument he could see how the other captain's would laugh at him. He was already looked down upon, even if he had proved himself several times over, and this would just confirm their suspicions that he was still a kid despite his talent.

It was annoying because Ichigo wasn't thought of as a kid and they were the same age physically! Toshiro huffed, the white haired captain had at least two hundred years or so on the substitute shinigami. But then he supposed there was something about Ichigo that made it impossible for him to be thought of as a kid. There was the unbelievable strength that the carrot top possessed, maybe it was the fact that Ichigo had beaten several captain several time, or maybe it was because the teen had seen a lot more in his short life than most people did in a lifetime or an after-lifetime.

The hour before noon passed rather uneventfully. Ashido lifted his hand signaling for a stop. Toshiro arched an eyebrow as Ashido turned around. He knew why the stopped but it didn't feel any hotter than it had a little while ago. Toshiro lifted his arm to his forehead to wipe the sweat that had started to accumulate, he was surprised by the amount.

Looking around he saw that the others in his group were in basically the state as him. A thin sheet of sweat coated their foreheads. He realized that Ashido had lead them as far as they could before the heat became too unbearable. He nodded his approval to the mysterious shinigami, he received a nod in return.

The group after a few minutes of trying to figure out why they were stopped, the heat having evidentially slowed their thinking process, gratefully slumped onto the desert sand. Toshiro was slightly more delicate as he carefully lowered himself to the sand. He wasn't in favor of stopping but he could start to sense his dragon's discomfort with the heat. They had to sit in the direct sunlight, but it was better that overheating themselves by rushing through the desert. The bright side was because they weren't technically alive, they could survive without food and water, it was more of a luxury in Soul Society, to give the soul's a sense of normalcy if they so desired it.

No one was in the mood for talking. Not that they had anything to talk about, aside from how the desert had become monotonous, how sick of sand they were, or the heat that was becoming steadily hotter with each passing minute. Within thirty minute Toshiro was able to feel the full heat of the desert. He knew it could be hot, but this was ridiculous, he never wanted shade so bad in his life, he actually felt bad for taking the shade that they had used when approaching Los Noches for granted.

* * *

In Soul Society the captains were starting to take a more personal interest in their squads. None of the members of the squads were made aware of why they were suddenly being supervised by their captain in training instead of one of the seated officers. In some squads it was a welcome change to see their captain and for others it was a nightmare especially if said captain wanted to "observe" your fight technique closer, which would ultimately mean that you were facing your captain.

Though another thing that was peculiar and sometimes a relief, was there was more captain's meetings. Again the lower ranked shinigami weren't aware of the reason but for those few squads that had captain's that didn't hold back in a "friendly" spar it was a relief.

There happened to be one such meeting occurring at this very moment.

The nine captains stood in their usual positions, waiting for the Head-Commander to start their meeting. The old man sat at the head of the group looking around at the pitiful ranks. He sighed. Everyone was on time at least.

"Anything?" The old man asked them. The captains had been asked to observe their squads to see if there was anyone that could be part of the Neo-Gotei. Since they had limited information they were looking for anyone who was suspicious, incredibly strong, and had a zanpakuto that would fit in with the Neo-Gotei.

The captains shook their heads or muttered something along the lines of "No."

"Are we sure that they're even in Soul Society?" Soi-Fon asked. "It doesn't seem like they'd be willing to be that bold and actually infiltrate us."

"According to the information that Captain Hitsugaya one of the Neo-Gotei's leaders stated that they would know what we were planning to do. Which could mean that they have infiltrated us, so we have to make sure that they do not have anyone on the inside." The Head-Captain answered.

"There are a lot of Soul Reapers. If we have to evaluate every single one of them, it would take years. While the Neo-Gotei have been patient so far, we are unsure of when they could attack. It could've been a bluff." Voiced Captain Komamura

"You could be right, but do you want to take that risk?" Captain Kuchiki spoke up.

That seemed to have pacified the eighth division captain. The rest of the captain's remained silent. Each thinking about one thing or another.

"When, and if, these Neo-Gotei attack Soul Society, don't we need to worry about some sort of counter-attack plan?" Ukitake asked. "What about evaluation divisions 3, 5, and 9? They need another leader aside from their vice-captains, or in the case of the fifth division their third seat."

There was a murmur of agreement. Head-Commander Yamamoto was silent as he thought about what had been just said. There were certain protocols about naming a captain, and he couldn't just promote the vice-captains without proof of a Bankai from either of them, and the third seat was out of the question as well. He didn't want to do what he was going to do next but there was no other alternative.

"I'm initiating General Order: Eleven."

The captains looked at Yamamoto surprised. That order hadn't ever been used in all of Soul Society's history. The order was that in case of a captain being unable to take control of their squad and a captain was needed in an emergency situation another captain would take control of that squad as well as their original division. That meant double the work for the captain, the order didn't specify what captain would take control of what division.

"Any volunteers?" Yamamoto asked the captains, as he expected not one of them raised their hands.

He looked around, he had to choose carefully. At the moment he knew that the tenth division captain was out of the question. The sixth division captain was also out of the question he was already doing a lot more than was needed since his vice-captain was aiding with the search for Kurosaki, the thirteenth division captain was in the same boat. There were several other captains that he wouldn't burden or didn't trust with another squad. Actually there was only one captain that he would willingly trust another squad. Not that any of the other captain's weren't capable, there were just things that needed to be taken into consideration.

Just as the Head-Commander was about to speak what captains would be doubling up the meeting was interrupted, for the second time in a month. He opened his eyes to confirm that he was sensing the correct spiritual pressures. He couldn't believe his eyes, he would've smacked his forehead in disbelief he wasn't such a high ranking man in front of his subordinates. The captains looked surprised, and some of them even looked irritated.

Standing in all of their glory were three past captains. They didn't look taken aback by the surprised looks, in fact two looked the slightest bit smug, as if they were pleased with themselves, and the other one however looked disappointed as he stared around the room.

"What do you three want?" Yamamoto asked, a tad coolly.

One of the trio laughed and waved his fan in front of his face. "It seems that the Gotei 13 are short three captains."

There was a paused, clearly the man was waiting for some sort of comment, but he got none so he continued. "Seeing as General Order: Eleven has been activated which allows the doubling up of squads for the captains or the reinstatement of previous ones on the discretion of the Head-Commander."

"I know what the order does. I'm the one who made it. What's you point?" Yamamoto snapped crankily.

"My point is there are three previous captains standing in front of you." The man answered.

Another one of the trio spoke up. "Using us would mean that none of the captains would have to double up, which is better for them and their squads."

"Not to mention, you don't have to keep us around." The third spoke.

Yamamoto bit back a sigh. Unfortunately he couldn't fault their logic and he would prefer it if he didn't have to exhaust his captains any further. But these three weren't exactly the knights in shining armor that Soul Society wanted. But with the limited information that they had on Neo-Gotei the three standing in front of him could prove to be advantageous to Soul Society.

He could see the growing smirk on one of the trio's faces. The Head-Commander absolutely hated that he had to utter these words, but the pros outweighed the cons, and the three were, at one time, capable Captains.

"I hereby name Kisuke Urahara as Captain of the 9th division. Yoruichi Shihoin as Captain of the 3rd division." Yamamoto sighed, the last one was the hardest to do considering the circumstance in which he left. "Isshin Shiba as Captain of the 5th division."

"Isshin Kurosaki." The newly appointed 5th division captain corrected automatically.

The head captain arched on of his long eyebrows and he could see the surprise on the faces of a few of the captains at that news. They were smart enough to piece together the information. That had been more surprising than the three of them barging into the first division.

Yamamoto could see some captain were displeased about having certain people become captains. The ones that were showing the most displeasure were understandably Captains Soi-fon, Kurotshuchi, and Kuchiki. Yamamoto figured the first two had reasons to be displeased with this choice but he couldn't figure out why Kuchiki was, then again Kuchiki was just that type of person.

The newly appointed captains walked to where they assumed their spots would be, as long the positions hadn't changed. Once the three reached their spots, there was only one noticeable gap but at least they knew that the owner of the spot would be back the moment things got bad here, if he wasn't finished with his mission then.

Yoruichi smiled kindly to Soi-fon since they stood across from each other, as expected she got an irritated eye roll and pointed glare. Isshin almost walked to where he used to stand since it was currently vacant, but the recalled at he was the captain of a new division. He took his place across from Captain Unohana who smiled warmly at him, and Isshin felt a sweat drop roll down his neck. Urahara strolled over to his new spot, he was staring at the empty spot, but the person next to the empty spot looked less than happy to see him, so Kisuke smiled innocently at Captain Kurotshuchi.

Once they were settled in the Head-Commander cleared his throat, trying to regain the attention that was so rudely taken away from him when the three former captains burst in. He would have to ask them how they got into Soul Society and into the first division barracks without _anyone _noticing.

"Captain Urahara." The Head-Commander shuttered as he had to return to calling Kisuke that. "Did you find anything out, something that we didn't know?"

Urahara nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes. This anomaly that the 12th division found, is where we think the Neo-Gotei's base is. Captain Hitsugaya and his team are heading there as we speak. I have no idea how long it will take them to get there nor do I know that this is for certain the actual base of the Neo-Gotei."

"Did you find anything on the five members that we know for sure exist?" Asked Soi-Fon.

"I did. Thanks to human technology" Urahara grinned.

"Human technology? You're lying!" Kurotshuchi cried indignantly.

"I'm not." Urahara shrugged. "How else do you think that they're able to catch "paranormal activity"? It's a spirit or shinigami that gets caught on camera and only people with reiatsu can see it. How well you see it depends on how much reiatsu you have."

"The point?" Yamamoto interrupted.

"Yes. The park where Kurosaki-san was taken had video cameras. From that I was able to run a facial recognition scan on them. I was able to get positive identification on three of them. On the other two that were there that night, I only had partial faces but I was able to get the best candidate matches for them." Urahara grinned.

"Well? Who are they?" Soi-fon asked impatiently.

"The first one was Yuna Hasegawa."

Captain Unohana's eyes widened slightly. "You're sure of this?"

"Yep. She looked directly at the camera by mistake." Urahara replied. "Why do you know her?"

The healer nodded. "I thought her dead. We'd be better off if she was."

"That small thing isn't something we need to be afraid of!" Kenpachi laughed.

"She is. She sold her soul to demons. I don't know what she's capable of now. She was captain class before she made the deal, now, she could very well kill us all."

There was silence for a few minutes while the captains processed the information that Captain Unohana provided them with.

"On that depressing note I still have four more names to give out." Urahara spoke, oddly cheerful.

"Go ahead."

"Daichi Edano, Masao Narumi, Enyo Marvos, and Tadashi Inuzuka." Urahara rattled off, waiting to see if he would be interrupted, when he wasn't he looked up to the Head Captain who was looking decidedly grim.

"Those are names I haven't heard in a very long time." The old man muttered. "All of them do not bode well for Soul Society, especially if they're working together."

"Who are they exactly?" It was Komamura who spoke up.

"Three were known traitors to Soul Society, the last one was declared dead after going into Hueco Mundo and never returning along with the rest of the team." Yamamoto answered.

Urahara had nothing more to share. He knew that Head-Captain Yamamoto would brief them more on the traitors another time, but for now everyone was slightly more reserved as they absorbed the information that proved what they subconsciously knew all along. This would be a war, the one that decided the future of Soul Society, and that their opponents would be highly skilled. A heavy air settled over the twelve captains.

They barely noticed when Yamamoto banged his staff against the ground adjourning the meeting. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts as the meandered to their squad's barracks, and the three new captains received their new haoris with their squad number on the back.

"It feels weird to be wearing one after going so long thinking that I wasn't ever going to be allowed back into Soul Society much less a captain." Urahara joked lightly.

Yoruichi looked less than pleased. "It's too bulky. It'll slow me down."

Isshin remained silent as he put on the haori. He hadn't wanted to return to Soul Society, but a lot of convincing on Urahara's part, and calling in a lot of favors to get someone to watch Karin and Yuzu while he was here, finally got him back. He sighed. It felt weird, he was doing nothing while his son was in danger. But there is nothing that he could do to aid the rescue, at the moment they didn't know where the team was and he'd be wandering around Hueco Mundo with little chance of finding them. This way he was doing something helpful.

The captain would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't excited about returning and seeing who took over the tenth division and how well they maintained it. Though he was disappointed that both the Captain and Vice-Captain were out.

The three left the first division barracks, each heading off to their own squads to introduce themselves.

Isshin laughed dryly. "Vacation is over. Back to work."

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**How many of you saw that coming?!**

**That was probably the worst chapter ending in the history of chapter endings. I mean, yeesh, *shudders* I no other way to end it! Ya know? I may update early to make up for it, for now want the preview? Of course you do ya greedy buggers, I mean my lovely readers! Wee~, is it finally starting to pick up?**

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_At the base of Neo-Gotei the room that housed their prisoner remained one of the least visited areas of the entire castle. It was passed a lot by the staff and members of the Neo-Gotei but hardly ever inquired about. Most of the staff and lower ranks had been given the story that it was a traitor, it didn't seem likely that anyone would want to betray Neo-Gotei given the power that they had in their top ranks alone but they bought it. _

_There had been a few visitors to the room. It was mainly the top ranks, at it had been Premier Enyo most of the time. The lower ranks didn't know the extent of her power but they did know she had a way of getting what she wanted when she wanted it. So again they though it had been something to do with interrogating the traitor. _

_The highest person that the guards had seen enter the room had been Yuna, the second-in-command of the entire Neo-Gotei. So it came to a surprise when the guards were greeted by none other than the King himself, though they weren't exactly greeted, it was more like a command to open the door. But they complied without hesitation._

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**Hope that keeps ya'll sated until I can post chapter 19. You know the drill; leave your comments in the review. Questions, comments, and concerns leave below, and for those who ask questions I'll get back to you all in the next author's note! Any who… Later! ~IF**


	19. Torture of the Mind

**Hello my darlings! This one is just under 4,000 word so it's kind of short, but fulfilling none the less. Plus it's an early update so can you really be mad at me. Especially if I get you the next chapter out at the regular time? Thought not. Thanks to Kage Kurai, AbsoluteReader1995, Phantom Claire, and KageNekoReborn for reviewing. **

** Absolute Reader: Its coming, I swear!**

**WARNINGS: This gets kind of graphic with some injure descriptions, and if you are kind of squeamish I don't think it is that bad but for someone else it could be disgusting, you've been warned. **

**Now to the disclaimer and chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT AND SOME OCs ARE MINE.**

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At the base of Neo-Gotei the room that housed their prisoner remained one of the least visited areas of the entire castle. It was passed a lot by the staff and members of the Neo-Gotei but hardly ever inquired about. Most of the staff and lower ranks had been given the story that it was a traitor, it didn't seem likely that anyone would want to betray Neo-Gotei given the power that they had in their top ranks alone but they bought it.

There had been a few visitors to the room. It was mainly the top ranks, at it had been Premier Enyo most of the time. The lower ranks didn't know the extent of her power but they did know she had a way of getting what she wanted when she wanted it. So again they though it had been something to do with interrogating the traitor.

The highest person that the guards had seen enter the room had been Yuna, the second-in-command of the entire Neo-Gotei. So it came to a surprise when the guards were greeted by none other than the King himself, though they weren't exactly greeted, it was more like a command to open the door. But they complied without hesitation.

Once inside it was only Sachio and the prone form of Ichigo, and whatever random oddities were in the room. Sachio clicked his tongue at the teen, knowing that he would be better off talking to a dog Sachio pulled over one of the chairs in the room. Briefly wondering why one chair was tilted over.

"It seems that we haven't been the best hosts to our guest." He spoke calmly. He looked over to the body.

The teen's body was deteriorating quicker than one would've thought. The boy was skinnier than he should be at his age, his ribs were starting to stick out further than they should. The teen's face was sunken and waxy looking, the high cheek bones were extremely prominent. Any muscle mass or fat that the kid had, was deteriorated, to the point of it almost being completely gone.

Sachio knew that if he lifted the kid up he would find it laughably easy to do so. The king also knew that if the teen had been awake and aware of his surrounds his eyes would be dull and hazy. He also saw the still bleeding wounds, they were also oozing some other foreign matter and the skin around them was a yellow-green color, and it was starting to streak, indicating that the infection was no longer localized in the wounds.

Sachio glance almost lazily at the teen's face. As was expected the boy's face was flushed red and his hair was sticking to his face because of the sweat. The carrot-top's hair was also noticeably longer now. The room was filled with his pathetic attempts to squeeze air into his lungs. His breaths were short and raspy, and there was the occasional wheeze thrown in.

The King's keen eyesight could see the pulse in his "guests" throat. From what he could tell it was weak, fluttery, and from his observations it wasn't very stable speed wise. It was either racing or dangerously slow. The smell in the room was putrid. It smelled of sickness, but it had the scent of death mingled into smell permeating the room.

The sheets that the teen laid on were covered in bodily fluids. Mostly blood, pus, and sweat that had left the teen. The sheets would probably stick to the teen if he was lifted from them. Sachio vaguely recalled Enyo whipping him a few times when he was still conscious, so there were wounds on his back as well.

Sachio laughed. "You're the famed hero of Soul Society? You'll be lucky if you make it to nightfall."

He stood abruptly. "I can't wait to see the look on your father's face when he sees who it was that killed his only son."

There was a manic glint to Sachio's eyes. "You should be grateful that you're unconscious. If I had my way, then you'd be feeling every agonizing second as your life force slipped away from me. Of course not everything goes to plan, but this is good as well. A strong shinigami unable to even fight for his life. You're dying and that unbreakable spirit I've heard about? I broke it."

Sachio paused a second as we about to leave the room. Something had escaped him when had first been observing the teen. There was a blossoming of purple across his lower abdomen, and some of his ribs were misshapen. "I'll be merciful. Hopefully this will speed up your departure."

With that he pressed down on a few of the misshapen ribs, hearing them crack under his gentle pressure. He wasn't a doctor but he could tell that they were completely broken. He had no way to tell if they had punctured his lung like he had hoped. Sachio also didn't have the pleasure of hearing the teen scream when his ribs that were starting to heal were broken.

"Internal bleeding and a possibility of a punctured lung." Sachio hummed. "How long can this body hold out?"

The king dusted himself off and left the room. His boredom sated for the moment. The guards didn't speak when the King came out, they didn't even look at them. It had become painfully obvious to them that this wasn't a traitor, they didn't know who it was, but from what they heard it sounded like they were guarding the body of a young man. The two guards looked at each other and swallowed hard.

* * *

Ichigo heard a sharp cracking sound come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. He spun around trying to identify the cause of the strange sound. That was before he doubled over in pain and screamed bloody murder. A sudden burst of pain ripped through him. It felt like he was on fire and being hit with a hammer at the same time. He wasn't sure what hurt worst.

He remained doubled over for what he thought was a long time. The worst of the pain seemed to have gone away but it was still incredibly painful to move. He knew the feeling, he had somehow broken some of his ribs. He was relieved to find that he wasn't coughing up blood, so he didn't have a punctured lung. Ichigo was still baffled as to how he had broken his ribs when he wasn't doing anything.

Though Ichigo did realize that he wouldn't be able to walk at the same pace that he was doing, if he could walk at all. It wasn't impossible to move with broken ribs, but he rather not increase the risk of him having a puncture lung because he moved the wrong way. He was relieved to find one of the shelter was within eyesight. He could stay there until he was comfortable with the idea of moving for an extended period of time.

He moaned in pain as he stood up. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he lumbered over to the shelter. This was actually one of the nicer ones that he had found, it had three walls and its opening was away from the wind leaving him protected completely. That was one plus he had found.

He chuckled and then winced. He wondered if he had ever though he'd be excited to sleep in a shallow cave. This experience had certainly taught him a lot. Having nothing else to really do he fell asleep, hoping that it might help to dull the pain.

He didn't know how much later it was but he awoke screaming as he felt something eerily similar to a blade slice through his skin on his legs. He felt something oozing out of the area that he felt the pain in. Reaching down he gasped when he felt something wet, warm, and sticky. Pulling his fingers away he confirmed what he had feared. It was blood coating his fingers.

There were four cuts in all. One on each of his thighs and one of each of his ankles. It was creepily similar to what Tadashi had done the last time he had seen him, after the time he kissed him. Tadashi had come into his cell and cut almost directly parallel to the large artery that was in the leg. It was the same on both sides.

Tadashi had said something about the boss not wanting him to bleed out. The next two cuts that Tadashi had done were on his Achilles tendons. The red-head knew anatomy well, Ichigo concluded, because the foreigner had stopped directly after hitting the tendon in both ankles. Ichigo knew that Tadashi had stopped because the boss, whose name was Sachio, wanted something from him. Sachio wanted him in pain but not permanently crippled or dead.

Ichigo shook his head trying to clear out the memory of Tadashi and everyone that had cause him pain recently. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, he was bleeding and he had nothing to staunch the bleeding with. He was left wondering why he was receiving injuries when there was nothing that could harm him, aside from the occasional roof collapse, but that wasn't the point.

Determined to see if anything else of this nature happened to him again he stayed awake. He applied pressure to each of his wounds the best he could. He had to alternate in stopping the bleed from his thighs and his ankles, it seemed to be slowing but not clotting. He growled in frustration, but ended up coughing because his larynx was practically frozen from disuse.

_This is identical to Tadashi's zanpakuto. _Ichigo thought.

Still wondering if the mysterious wounds would happen again he remain awake. He started to count in his head. Ichigo had realized that it was counting minutes that he was sitting here. He wasn't sure if it even mattered that he was counting. But it was nice to have something to focus on in this monotonous land.

It was about sixty minutes later, by Ichigo's count, when he doubled over from an invisible impact. Well it was more like slumped over because he wasn't standing up. Several more impacts came from an invisible force, all hitting various places on his torso, not caring that he was in a position that wouldn't allow him to be kicked in the front. It was like when Daichi kicked him repeatedly, it felt like it was in the same places as Daichi's last beating.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he grunted in pain. He was somehow reliving the torture that he had got when he was in the physical world. He didn't understand how this was happening. He finally admitted to himself that he was somewhere like an inner world but not quiet. How was he being hurt by an outside force?

Finally the invisible Daichi's kicks stopped. His torture was going from the most recent to the furthest back. If he recalled correctly the later beatings weren't as worse at the first few, seeing as when they started the beatings he was able to withstand more.

He was in for a long whatever this was, since days and nights didn't exist here. This was worse than when he first went through the beatings. Then he could try to fight back, it was feeble and most of the time resulted in him not following his tormentors orders. But that was something! Now all he could do was sit and wait. He supposed he could see if he remembered who did what to him to see if he remembered the order, but that was just depressing. He choked back a sob, he hated not being able to do anything. He hated feeling weak!

As he guessed he was going through his torture only backwards. He was currently in a session of Enyo's whippings. He whimpered pathetically as he felt the sting of the whip on his back, he could almost hear the crack the whip made, and Enyo always cracked her whip twice, once aimed away from him and the other at him, she always did it at random so he would never know which crack would lead to him being in more pain.

Once the session was finished Ichigo curled into himself the best he could. The injuries certainly weren't phantoms. He wasn't crying, he refused to let himself believe that he was, he was ignoring the warm, wet, and thankfully non-sticky liquid running down his face.

He heard the humming or rumbling, he couldn't tell anymore get stronger and then the voice that he had heard before spoke, this time it was clearer, but it didn't seem like it was directed towards him, but he was sure that there was no one else in this entire world or whatever it was.

_Hurry. Time is short. Life hanging in the balance. Hurry! _

Then it faded as if it hadn't even existed. He couldn't decipher the meaning. It was without a doubt the same voice, it was stronger. Why was that? Ichigo wondered. The voice being clearer meant that Ichigo was able to recognize some of the distinct speech patterns. It sounded familiar to him. It wasn't a person he knew. Thinking hard on it he remembered that he had heard the voice a long time ago. It sounded like… Ichigo's eyes shot open as far as they could. There was no way! The voice was Hyourinmaru's!

Ichigo had heard the dragon's true voice before, not the physical version of it, it was unmistakable. That caused more questions than it actually answered. But it did explain the freaky snowstorm that was continuously blowing. It was an ice-dragon after all. But why would he be hearing Toshiro's zanpakuto, and why would it be telling him to hurry? Ichigo shook his head but found that it was a bad idea. The humming/rumbling sound hadn't dissipated completely. It was weaker than previously but he still could hear another voice.

**Ichi…Stay strong… Stay alive!**

Ichigo blinked the humming/rumbling sound had vanished completely this time. Even though it had been weaker than Hyorinmaru. Ichigo knew whose voice that was, there was no way that he could forget it. The voice had a watery and nasally sound to it. He knew of only one person that sounded like that, the only person that probably would ever sound like that, his inner hollow.

That made less sense that the whole I heard Hyourinmaru's voice for no reason, issue he was having. His hollow hadn't shown concern for him before, at least not like that. It was never so blatantly obvious.

_Am I really in that dire of a situation? _Ichigo wondered. _More so, do the zanpakuto spirits like me for some reason? I swear if they need me for something stupid I'm going to… Huh? What am I going to do if that happens? Well I guess it depends on what the situation is exactly and how they ask me. _

The substitute shinigami shook his head. Thoughts like that weren't going to solve anything other than his boredom. Was he really that dependent on fighting? That it was the only way that he could relieve boredom? He wondered what other people did when they were bored. He never had the chance to focus on anything other than fighting and training, it had consumed all of his time getting ready to face Aizen. He had missed a lot he supposed.

If he got out of this alive, the first thing he was going to do, after he recovered and was cleared by Captain Unohana, was find who he was crushing on and then asking them out on a date. He was determined to live the rest of his life as sort of a life. He wouldn't give up being a shinigami but he wouldn't let it consume his entire life, there would be enough time for that once he was finally dead.

_That sounded really grim. _Ichigo thought.

Just as he finished that thought he curled into himself again as he was cut by an invisible dagger. He remembered this, Tadashi had been in a particularly bad mood and had taken it out on him. He had made the cuts small but numerous, and in very strange places. Tadashi had sliced along his hands, never cutting anything that would impair the functioning of his phalanges. But there had been three cuts running horizontally across his palm. It had been the same thing on the other side.

Tadashi had also cut along his foot. Again taking care to not cut anything vital, but Tadashi had seemingly sliced at his foot, the top, sides, and bottom were all littered with small cuts that wouldn't stop bleeding. Again both feet received the same attention.

It was painful to even put pressure onto his hands or feet, that had left Ichigo in the same position for what seemed like a long time. Daichi and Enyo had taken advantage of that, soon enough the pain wore off enough to where Ichigo could scoot himself with his hands, he didn't want to look at his feet at the time.

Now it was the same thing Ichigo was whimpering in pain as the invisible dagger no longer cut him. The pain the first time around hadn't been so bad because he had been half conscious for most of it. But this was completely different, where in the real world he had had a day or so to recover, in this world he was lucky if he had two hours to rest before the started again.

Though he figured that this time the torture was relentless because he could take it. In the physical world his tormentors had to be cautious of the very fatal wounds that Yuna and Daichi had given him when they captured him.

Moaning in pain, or doing the best he could because his voice box was still warming up from disuse, he turned himself so that he was laying spread eagle on the floor of the shelter. He had forgotten that Enyo's whip marks were still there and he bit his tongue until he got used to the lacerations digging into the ground. The position struck something in him that made him feel like he had done this before. He couldn't bring himself to care about what he had done and what he hadn't.

He didn't know when the next phantom torture session would occur. He needed something to take his mind off of the pain and the hopelessness that was creeping into his soul. He let out a wheezy sigh, he knew what he could think about, but it seemed really girlish, but nobody would know what he thought while he was trapped in his mind.

He started to think about what his date would be like if the person he liked said yes. He pictured that they would go out for a bite to eat at this odd little Italian restaurant that he knew about from all the girls at school gossiping about how their dates took them there. It would be an early dinner, maybe about four in the afternoon. Afterwards they would walk to a nearby park and eat ice-cream and walk around, and the when the sun was about to set they'd walk towards the river and watch the sunset.

Then after the sun went down they would turn toward each other and share a passionate kiss.

As Ichigo was imagining the date, and just as they turned towards each other, Ichigo hadn't really figured out who he like so he blurred the features of his date, but as they turned towards each other they eyes, which had been closed opened and were a startling teal color. The carrot top paused his day dream. Where had he seen eyes like that before?

His thoughts were cut short as the invisible feet and first of Daichi assaulted him again. Beating Ichigo into a bloody pulp. Once the beating was finished, Ichigo stared out towards the endless snowstorm. Praying that someone would find him and fast. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. After finishing his impromptu prayer, which may or may not be answered considering that was the first time that he ever prayed, he felt into unconsciousness, his body too tired to keep him up any longer.

**Ichigo certainly went through some physiological torture**. ***crickets*. Okay so that was a bad pun, we all have them. We all can't be punny! XD Okay so I'll stop. Well I am a nice person and I thought you all deserve an Ichigo centric chapter, plus I figured that you all might want to know some of the injuries he got*shrugs* so here they are. I honestly have mixed feelings about this chapter, It's a decent length but I feel like Ichigo was OCC slightly, but then it's allowed because of what he's going through, yes? Any who here's the preview for Chapter 20!**

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_Hurry. Time is short. Life hanging in the balance. Hurry!_

_Toshiro shot up the moment that he heard those words, startling a few of the shinigami around him. They were still waiting for the hottest part of the day to be over with. The icy captain knew the risks of leaving early and rushing through the desert. It wasn't worth risking the lives of six shinigami and himself. He gritted his teeth in irritation. He had two responsibilities, one to protect his team the best he could and to make sure that they were able to save Ichigo._

_Rangiku walked over to him and sat down, the two tenth division members sitting in silence. Neither of them really had anything to say, the vice-captain knew her captain was going through a personal struggle and it was just his personality to not request help. She'd still offer him as much comfort as he would take. It was her job to watch over her captain, she was the one to bring him into the world of shinigami after all._

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**Looking forward to the next update yet? Well I best be off to write it then! Later! ~IF **


	20. The Palace is Found

**Welcome back. As I said I'd give you an early update and an on time update, so here we go! I do truly think you'll like this chapter, just because it's finally getting closer to the moment you all have been waiting for. Thanks to AbsoluteReader1995, Scarlett Foxie, urufushingami, Phantom Claire, flamingdarkfox, and Kurai Kage. Now onto the chapter **

** Scarlet Foxie: I'm aware that this may seem like its dragging, but I do have a few reasons, one I don't like writing or reading fast paced stories, two its suppose to show you everything that's going on most of the time, and three its setting the stage for the sequel which will be more action packed… once I get around to writing it. But I'll do my best to pick it up a little. **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT OF THIS STORY AND SOME OF THE OC's**

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_Hurry. Time is short. Life hanging in the balance. Hurry!_

Toshiro shot up the moment that he heard those words, startling a few of the shinigami around him. They were still waiting for the hottest part of the day to be over with. The icy captain knew the risks of leaving early and rushing through the desert. It wasn't worth risking the lives of six shinigami and himself. He gritted his teeth in irritation. He had two responsibilities, one to protect his team the best he could and to make sure that they were able to save Ichigo.

Rangiku walked over to him and sat down, the two tenth division members sitting in silence. Neither of them really had anything to say, the vice-captain knew her captain was going through a personal struggle and it was just his personality to not request help. She'd still offer him as much comfort as he would take. It was her job to watch over her captain, she was the one to bring him into the world of shinigami after all.

The sand was hot to sit on, so no one was really moving having the adjusted to the heat in their particular spot but that didn't mean that they weren't alert. When rumbling was heard in the distance all seven of them looked up, trying to evaluate what was coming towards them at such a high speed. Renji and Rukia who had been sitting next to each other looked at each other.

"You don't think…" Rukia trailed off.

"It might be." Renji returned.

"What are you talking about?" Toshiro asked the two.

"Last time we were here we met some very interesting people." Renji said with a shrug. "They were… it's hard to describe. They're probably playing another game of eternal tag."

Toshiro glanced at the redhead with confusion. He was interrupted by a voice.

Hey! Its Itsygo's fwiends!" Came a high pitched child's voice.

"Wonder why he's back?" Came another voice.

A third voice spoke up. "The Espada are defeated. Don't'cha know?"

Rukia and Renji glanced at each other and then sighed simultaneously. The rest of the group looked confused at the two shinigami's reaction.

"Don't worry about them." Renji said while waving his hand dismissively. "They're harmless for the most part. Just really loud."

Toshiro felt his brow twitch. He wasn't fond of overly loud and obnoxious people. But his curiosity was perked, who were these people that were approaching the group and how did Ichigo and his friends stumble across them while in Hueco Mundo the first time? The dust cloud was growing steadily larger and larger the closer that it got.

Soon the white haired captain was able to make out three humanoid figures and a giant worm looking thing. He blinked. He could barely make out one of the figures, it being still so small. In a couple of minutes he could see the figures get bigger as they approached, at a rapid speed Toshiro noted.

Within five minutes of the initial spotting of them three hollow like beings slid to a stop in front of the seven shinigami. Those who hadn't seen them before blinked owlishly at them and the giant worm that wiggled behind them.

Toshiro wasn't sure how to describe what he was seeing. He knew that they were hollow in origin he just never saw any quite like the ones panting in front of them. Renji and Rukia actually looked bored, chatting amongst themselves. Toshiro rubbed the back of his head and looked to his vice-captain for aid, she gave an unhelpful shrug.

"Uhmmm..." The frosty captain began smartly.

He was interrupted by the young child. She looked around with big brown eyes her mouth hanging open revealing her missing bottom teeth. She repeated her first question. "Where's Itysgo?"

"Er…"Toshiro tried again.

Just before he could explain anything a large hand clamped down on his mouth. He looked up to see Renji had crossed the fifteen feet between him to stop Toshiro from explaining.

"All three of them are like children, you have to be delicate." The red-head hissed.

Toshiro glared at the tattooed man, Renji luckily took the hint and removed his hand from the captain's mouth.

"Who are you?"

The trio turned to look at Toshiro. Before striking a pose.

"I'm Nel Tu!" The young girl chirped.

"I'm Dondochakka don't'cha know?" The largest one of the group replied.

"And I'm Pesche." The last one introduce himself.

Toshiro sighed in frustration. He didn't want to deal with this at the moment. The heat was making him and Hyorinmaru cranky and these three hollows were grating on his nerves. He reached for his zanpakuto unnoticed by anyone, he'd slay them the moment they got too annoying, something they were approaching very quickly.

"Ichigo is playing hide and seek." Rukia supplied helpfully.

Renji nodded his approval and the other stared at them like they were crazy. "Really?" Nel Tu gasped.

"Yes. But we need some help…" Rukia trailed off.

Toshiro's eyebrows arched in understanding, he knew what Rukia was trying to do and he was quick to jump in. "Yeah, maybe you could help? You must know the layout of Hueco Mundo better than anyone!"

Four different gazes turned their attention to him. Staring at him blankly, not understanding what he was doing.

Nel Tu pushed out her chest and greed proudly. "Suwe do!"

Rukia knelt down, eyelevel with the teal-haired child. "We know where he's hiding but we don't know where the area is."

"Whewe's Itysgo?" Nel asked.

Pesche and Dondochakka leaned down to listen as well.

Rukia cleared her throat. "He's in a place that shouldn't be in Hueco Mundo but is. Several people of great strength should be hanging around there. One girl has blue hair she's super powerful."

The three nodded and listened intently. Toshiro turned his attention to Renji. "Do they only take games seriously?"

"Running for their lives is something else they take seriously as well." Renji shrugged.

The three jumped away and started to whisper, poorly, to themselves.

"That sounds like…"

"It does…."

"Its scawy there!"

"Ichigo is strong he'd be fine."

"But still _there…"_

"It's the only place that fits the description…"

The jumped back in front of Rukia, Nel looked upset, as far as Toshiro could tell. The conversation had left him with a slight confusion. He looked at the other to see that they hadn't understood it either, good, so he wasn't alone.

Rukia knelt down. "Do you know of a place?"

"The vampiwe guy's palace…" Nel mumbled tears forming in her eyes.

"That place means nothing good." Pesche whimpered

"Vampire guy?" Rangiku tilted her head in confusion.

Toshiro and Renji shrugged. The two men figure that's what Nel had nicknamed a guy that looked like he was in charge and must look like this "vampire" whatever that was.

"Where that?" Rukia asked undeterred by the name.

"Ower that sand dune!" Nel replied shakily pointing towards a large sand dune.

"That's it?" Rukia asked.

"Yep!"

Toshiro wanted to smack his head into the heel of his palm as hard as he could. They were _that _close and they had been taking a break because they thought it was further. Granted it was a tall sand dune, but it'd be easy enough to climb without exhausting anyone. The rest of the group looked like they wanted to do the same. Rukia and Ashido both checked over the device.

Toshiro walked over to them to see what it said, well he walked over to Ashido because Rukia was currently interrogating Nel and the other two about what they knew. Ashido handed him the device. It said that they were still miles away from where it was, he couldn't understand it… maybe there was another extra planar place here?

That wouldn't surprise him… Toshiro thought with annoyance. He had found that his dislike of the realm of the hollows had grown exponentially over the last week or so he's been here. The white haired captain also began to dislike sand and the sun. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't ever visit the beach again after this trip

"Could you show us?" Rukia asked.

"Show yes, but we aren't getting any closer." Dondochakka said waving his hands in a submissive gesture.

Rukia shrugged to the group. Toshiro nodded at her when she looked his way. This was a lead that they'd needed to check up on.

Rukia was surprised when Nel had shown up, as a child. Ichigo had told her what had happened with his fight with the fifth ranked Espada. Though he hadn't told her everything, Rukia was grateful for Nel's intervention, it probably saved his life. But that may have been in vain if they don't get to where they were keeping Ichigo and soon.

Nel and her "brothers" lead them up to the top of the tune and almost one the other side was a large stone palace. It seemed to be releasing a dark, evil aura. The sky directly above the palace was pitch black and the ground was the same way. It seemed to be floating.

The palace its self was built with dark gray stones. Its main gate was black cast iron with spikes at the top. The walls were smooth with no signs of any footholds and there were guards mounted with crossbows scanning the area. Guards made rounds around the grounds, they were all dressed in European knight armor from the Middle Ages.

There were four towers stretching towards the sky. The main building was expansive and stood half the height of the towers. It wasn't so much of a palace as it was a castle. It was impressive. It made the Kuchiki manor look like a rundown shack. Rukia winced, her brother wouldn't be pleased that she thought of the manor in the same context as a shack.

She took the scanner from Ashido and looked at the waves. Eyebrow arching in confusion as she saw that it was now pointing straight ahead. Ashido shrugged, he had noticed but didn't have an explanation. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Captain Hitsugaya was waiting for some sort of news.

"This is the place." She whispered.

The captain's eyes widened, the others shared looked between themselves not sure how to take that news. She couldn't describe her feelings either, she was glad that she found the place, but it'd be nearly impossible to search the entire place without being noticed. It would take a long time to even check one floor. The place was huge and no doubt had a large number of rooms, and probably lower levels that they couldn't see.

Not to mention that the guards looked like they were well trained. They wouldn't be able to get past them without the whole castle knowing that they were here.

"We need to contact Urahara-san." She whispered.

She flicked a few buttons and recorded the coordinates. Before hitting the call button. Urahara should pick up, or so she hoped, they didn't need to waste any more time.

"So have you found it?" Urahara said the moment his face popped up onto the screen.

"Yes."

"Well?"

"We won't be able to sneak in from this side, it's too well-guarded and they'd sound the alarm. It's too big to just rush in and hope for the best." Rukia reported.

Urahara had a grim face. "I was worried about that. Send me your coordinates and I'll bring you back."

Nel looked at the device with curiosity. "But I thought you wanted to find Itysgo?"

"We do. This is part of the game." Renji came to Rukia's aid.

"Oh…" Nel looked sad.

"You've been a great help!" Rukia smiled.

The smile cause Nel to smile back. "Say hi to Itysgo for me when you find him!"

Rukia nodded and returned her attention to Urahara, she heard Nel and her friends start to slide down the sand dune. "We're ready."

She transmitted their coordinate but made them at the bottom of the dune hopping that it would avoid detection for the most part from the guards. Soon enough the Garganta opened up. Toshiro and Rangiku went in first, followed by Renji, Yumichika, and the Ikkaku.

She turned to look at Ashido. "Will you come with us this time?"

He looked uncertain, a look she found didn't fit his handsome face, but was adorable. _Whoa back up… what did I just think about him? _She hoped that she didn't start blushing.

"I don't know…" Ashido looked around.

"I promised that I would come and get you and I did. You'll be welcomed back, I know you will!" She tried her hardest to persuade him.

She couldn't bare the thought about him being alone here with the madmen that took Ichigo. She kept her violet eyes on him.

Ashido nodded. "Your right. Alright. I think the others will be understanding."

"Let's go!" She said grinning; holding out her hand to him.

He took it, and she noticed how large his hand was compared to hers. They both leapt through the garganta easily, running on the uneven path. She saw the group a head and she sped up her pace, Ashido following easily. Soon they were only a few paces behind Ikkaku.

* * *

Urahara was monitoring the garganta and those in it. There was a seventh person in the group, he knew that it couldn't possibly be Ichigo so he had to settle with a lost shinigami of some sorts. The 12th division captain didn't look pleased that he had to lend out his lab to the one person he despised, but orders were orders, and he couldn't defy them unless he wanted to lose his lab.

The new captain haori swished behind the inventor as he went from console to console. A few minutes later and he saw the tenth division captain leap out of the opening followed by his Vice-Captain. The other party members leapt through as well. Finally the tag-a-long appeared. It was definitely a shinigami, an oddly dressed one but if he proved to be useful the he wouldn't complain. Besides he could see that Kuchiki-kun seemed to have taken a liking to him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she quickly let go, leaving the new comer confused. Though the majority of the party looked dumbstruck at him, a few jaws were hanging open (namely Renji's)

Toshiro was first to recover. "Why are you in a captain's haori?"

"While you were gone, it was decided that there needed to be temporary captains, and me and two other volunteered and were selected." He said with a shrug, downplaying it.

"They made you a captain… again!" Renji cried.

Urahara looked innocent. "I guess."

He quickly turned on his business mode. "The devices."

The group all handed over their devices, all trying to ignore the jealous look the other captain in the room was giving them. They knew well enough that ignoring the twelfth division was the easiest way to make sure you had all of your organs at the end of the day.

Urahara plugged them into the computer. "It will take a while for all of the data to be complied, you can leave. I'll call you the moment that I'm able to get you in."

The group nodded and left the barracks belonging to the creepiest division. Once they were outdoors they started to split off to go their own directions.

"I'm sure my captain will take you." Rukia said to Ashido.

He shrugged and followed after her. Everyone else left without a word, until it left only Toshiro and Rangiku.

As they began their walk to their barracks a new figure started to approach them. It looked familiar.

"It couldn't be…" Rangiku trailed off as the silhouette struck something in her distant memory.

Toshiro looked at his Vice-Captain in confusion. He would admit that the figure did seem slightly familiar but the memory of it was hazy at best. The figure kept coming and Toshiro assumed that it was one of the new captains Urahara has spoken of, it was weird to see that person in a haori.

The features of the newcomer were becoming more and more distinguishable and more familiar with each passing second. Though for neither of the two 10th division members they didn't realize who it was until he literally stopped in front of them.

"Captain?" They both cried.

He chuckled. "Long time no see."

"You left so suddenly I wondered what happened to you." Rangiku said.

"That's a story for another time." Isshin said with a shrug. He looked over to his former third seat. "So you became the captain in my stead?"

Toshiro nodded. "I said that I would."

Isshin laughed again. But his face turned serious in a split second. "Did you find anything about Ichigo's condition?"

"You're on a first name basis with him?" Rangiku said putting her finger to her lip trying to remember if she ever saw Kurosaki-san with her Captain Shiba. She couldn't think of any.

There was a deep inhale. "I should think that I should be allowed to call my son by his first name."

There was dead silence, no pun intended when those words were said.

"You're that crazy guy that was Ichigo's father?" Toshiro said stunned.

Isshin nodded.

"But your last name is Shiba, not Kurosaki." Rangiku pointed out.

"Changed my name." Isshin said heavily. "That's part of the long story."

The others shrugged not really knowing how to respond to that statement. Isshin however turned around a raised his hand in a farewell.

"Just wanted to see a few of my old squad mates. I have a shattered squad to get functioning."

Toshiro and Rangiku could both see the 5 inscribed into the back of Isshin's haori. The looked at each other, they both knew that was a tough squad to take over. Especially after what happened to it.

The two of them resumed their walk to their barracks. Passing the noisiness of the eleventh, who were rejoicing in the return of two of their members. Returning to a relatively barrack, their third seat certainly knew how to take care of things in their absence.

* * *

The room containing the body hadn't been entered since the king had left it earlier that day. The guards were sure of it.

But…

Inside of the room, the teenager's body lay on the bed untouched by any sort of medical anything. Suddenly a figure materialized beside the boy. She was dressed in a solid white kimono, with a solid white ribbon tied in a bow in the back. Her eyes a gentle purple and her solid white hair went past her hips.

She pursed her pale lips and then clicked her tongue. The boy was in terrible condition and would die within the hour. His breathing was fast and uneven, his chest was actually heaving, he was having muscle spasms which would tug on his wounds and cause them to bleed more or cause them to leak more pus. She could tell from the spider webbing from the infected wounds, all of them, had spread throughout most of his body.

He went through a particularly terrible spasm which left him almost falling of the bed and tearing some of the scabbing wounds wide open. He was feverish, and the temperature at which he was burning would kill him if the infection didn't.

She titled her head. Trying to decide whether or not he was worth using her magic on. The only advantage that she would get would be getting to spite Yuna, which was worth it in its own way. But a storm was coming and she wondered if he'd be a valuable asset.

The teen started too choked as he coughed, and spat up blood with each hack. She stepped back to dodge the spray of the blood. Had she interfered enough in mortal endeavors? Looking down at the feverish dying teen her mind was made up.

She drew a sign in the air above him. The sign glowed bright white before it started to dissolve falling onto him like snow. His spasms and coughs started to lessen and eventually stop. Some of his still bleeding would started to close up, the ones that were cursed. She also mended some of his ribs that were dangerously close to puncturing his lungs, and some of the more severe internal bleeding.

She didn't stop the infection, heal the naturally cause wounds, or even mend anymore broken bones. The fever had lessened but his chest was still heaving. His eyes were tightly shut.

She touched a mostly healed area on his hip and traced a symbol into it a flaming snowflake. It shown brightly before it burned into the flesh, branding him with the symbol. The skin were the brand was had been irritated and was now red and angry looking. The brand itself looked like it had been there for at least a year as it was white like a recently healed wound.

With that she drew and arch in the air starting at the top and bringing her hands down to her side. The archway opened revealing a snow covered world. She glanced back at the teenager whose face had relaxed at the coolness the archway brought.

_Not yet, young one. The time is still too soon. The mortals must fight their own battles before joining ours. You are lucky. _

She disappeared into the archway which closed in a whirlwind of snow.

On the other side of the Neo-Gotei base Yuna sat straight up from her lazy leaning position. Osamu, who had been standing off to the side jumped in surprise.

"Premier?"

Yuna said nothing as she vaulted over her desk and charged out of the room, smoke trailing behind her. She stormed through the halls causing the few cell members that were socializing to jump away before running away in terror the moment that she passed them.

No one had seen the half-demon look so angry before. It was simply terrifying. She kicked in the door to the guest room. The guards lacking the bravery to stop her before entering. She looked around, the room. Spotting the melting snowflakes, she pulled her lips back to reveal rather sharp looking canines, and the rest of her teeth slowly sharpening.

She saw no sign of the person she was looking for. Glancing at the teen she saw that he lacked the cuts that Tadashi had given him, his rib cage looked less deformed as well. On the hip she spotted the thing she had needed for confirmation. That was _her _sign. That person had been here tampering with Yuna's territory.

"Oh she will pay." The demoness growled into the room. Before spinning on her heel and slamming the door behind her.

"Keep better watch inside and outside this room!" She snapped at the guards who could only nod meekly.

She had to inform the King that someone had been tampering with their guest. She knew that the seven shinigami had left Hueco Mundo, but this had been directly in their base and they were unable to sense it before it was too late.

While she didn't want to get the King involved, it'd make her possibly having to admit that she had more power than she initially had. Not something she had wanted to do, but having the King angry at her could compromise her more-so. She'd tell the King because that's what she did, she didn't even understand how that woman got into the place in the first place.

She banged her fist against the door.

_This will be pleasant. _She thought sarcastically before entering the room. Yuna bowed gracefully when she entered the room. Sachio looked at her, his face mostly impassive but she could tell that he was curious about the reason behind her visit. She bowed longer than normal and when she raised herself she did it slowly.

Sachio said nothing.

"Milord, I must report something to you." Yuna began slowly.

The incline of Sachio's head told her to continue. "As you know the seven shinigami have left Hueco Mundo. We assume that they've given up on trying to retrieve the boy."

"Yes, they got close but didn't want to face the guards." Sachio replied.

"But someone snuck in." Yuna said quietly.

Sachio stared for a minute before he spoke again. "What?"

"I do not know who, and I am uncertain as to how."

"Well what did this person do?"

"Healed the prisoner." Yuna said meekly.

Sachio blinked, and this his face turned into one of pure anger. "They healed the prisoner?"

Yuna nodded. As expected Sachio wasn't pleased but he was taking it better than she thought that he would.

"They just snuck in?"

"Yes, milord."

Sachio slammed his hand down onto the table, and glared at Yuna. "Do you have any idea who they are?"

Yuna paused to think about it for a minute, pretending that she was thinking about the possibilities. She knew telling him that it was one of her "kind" would put her in a bad position, but him finding out that she knew could also look bad. She returned her gaze to her king. "The only people that I know of that can do something like this, they wouldn't. It isn't their style to be forgiving to mortals."

Sachio studied her, attempting to detect any untruth in her words. He was ready to punish her with the cruelest things he could think of, and he was a cruel man, but Yuna did not lie and he didn't want to punish the half-demon for nothing, so he sat down on his chair harshly.

"See what you can find out." He ordered.

Yuna bowed again. "Yes, milord."

She raised herself, nodding towards Sachio, and then spinning on her heel and leaving the small office. Once the door was closed she smirked. The king could be a complete fool at times, but he didn't' seem to question why there wasn't anyone backing up her story. She shrugged, sometimes mortals were too blind to see anything, even the great ones such as Sachio.

She didn't have time to dwell on mortal affairs, she needed to figure out how _she _was able to get into the keep without anyone noticing. Yuna grit her teeth and headed off to her wing of the castle, ready to strike at anyone who dares interrupt her.

* * *

**Ta-da! Here's number twenty! I hope you enjoy the almost tidbits I'm giving you. I did enjoy the last part of the chapter. So I shall give you your preview and all of that?**

* * *

_Ichigo blinked confusedly. He was sure that he was in the midst of one of his torture sessions, and that the one that he was in lasted longer than it did, but all of the sudden it just stopped. He couldn't explain it. Not that he was complaining that they stopped, he just found it curious, but he was sure someone at one time told him not to look a gift horse in the mouth._

_The snowstorm was still blowing outside. While he was no longer receiving one of his bouts of torture, two things were stopping him from leaving. One being that he wasn't sure that he was done with these sessions, and the other being, he was still in incredible pain from all the sessions he had to relieve, so he wasn't in a hurry to get lost in the snow storm, again._

* * *

**Whatcha think? Drooling over the next update? Well we'll see. Oh and by the way, this is only one arc in my bleach series. I have two in all XD. There will be a sequel to this, and then Arc number two starts! Yay! And I'm off! I guess I'll see you in a week or so, maybe earlier! Later! ~IF**


	21. Meet the rest of the Premiers!

**Heads up ya'll! This is going to be a premier introducing chapter with some guest appearances by some of the "good" characters. So let's get down to business! Here's a present! An early update because its Friday and I'll be away from home all weekend and won't be able to update this Monday, so here you all are and I hope you enjoy! Thanks to Kage Kurai, AbsoluteReader1995, Phantom Claire, Inmsodiac, KageNekoReborn, and AngryHitsu for reviewing. Disclaimer time **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT (of this story) AND SOME OF THE OCs**

* * *

Ichigo blinked confusedly. He was sure that he was in the midst of one of his torture sessions, and that the one that he was in lasted longer than it did, but all of the sudden it just stopped. He couldn't explain it. Not that he was complaining that they stopped, he just found it curious, but he was sure someone at one time told him not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The snowstorm was still blowing outside. While he was no longer receiving one of his bouts of torture, two things were stopping him from leaving. One being that he wasn't sure that he was done with these sessions, and the other being, he was still in incredible pain from all the sessions he had to relieve, so he wasn't in a hurry to get lost in the snow storm, again.

He grimaced when he pushed himself up, his arms, hands, and whatever else weren't working to their full potential. His elbows were shaking with the strain, and his legs were screaming their protest when he tried to use them. He eventually got himself in a semi-sitting position, everything hurting twenty times worse now that he agitated the wounds. His body was also stiff from remaining in one place for too long. Sadly, it was something he had become accustomed to while he was in captivity.

His chest heaving from exertion, he looked out to the endless white. He attempted to clear his throat, momentarily forgetting that in one of his middle term captivity sessions involved Daichi strangling him, and his throat protested against it, his jugular having been moments from being crushed.

A few years ago, before he became a shinigami, he would've wondered if this was hell. But having been there and knowing what constitutes for heaven in this world, he couldn't figure out where he was at all. He was lost, helpless, alone, and in great pain.

He didn't even know if those who were on the search team were even still looking. His internal clock said that it had been at least four weeks since he got himself kidnapped.

In a way Ichigo supposed it was fitting. He had underestimated Yuna, and had assumed that her friends wouldn't join in the fight. He had foolishly guessed that she wouldn't be able to do anything that severely hurt him, he should've reconsidered the moment that he saw she was in shinigami dressings. She had been the biggest threat amongst the group, he knew that now. The others had been because the group that took him had accounted for him having his inner hollow with him.

Ichigo was surprised to find that he actually missed Hichigo, the hollow; while creepy, insane, and more than a little annoying had at least provided him with something to do whenever he got trapped in his own mind. Though that had been when he was training and before his mastered his hollow mask transformation.

Here, the only form of entertainment was whatever Ichigo could think of, and he had never been very imaginative, taking things to literal, and knowing what was possible and what wasn't. While most of his memories where faded to the point of almost being useless, he still knew that he had lost his imagination when his mother was killed.

Somehow as a child you got it in your brain that your parents would be with you forever, and as you grew older you were supposed to slowly realize that everyone dies eventually. Ichigo never had the chance to grow up and realize that, having his mother killed right before his very eyes, it was something that he could never change and he learned to grow up fast. Only because he needed to help raise his sisters.

Somewhere in his life, someone thought that he deserved to become a shinigami. At first the teenager was more than thrilled to have the power to protect his family like he desired. But now he was wondering if it wasn't a curse.

* * *

Several figures entered a bar in the 80th district. It being the worst district, and the furthest away from the prying eyes of the Gotei protection squads. The three that just entered the bar, looked around, ignoring some of the heated and lustful looks thrown their way. The spotted a group in a far off corner, the headed towards it.

A male with a scar running down the center of his face looked up at the newcomers, about to chase them off should they be a drunken patron of this bar. It wasn't, it was three figures that the small group was waiting for.

He motioned for them to sit down.

One of the girls, a female with tanned skin and dark hair sat down, looking at the table, arching an eyebrow at the appalling conditions of the bar.

"It's the best we could do princess." The man with the scar stated.

The female said, nothing but scowled in the general direction of the male.

The other female in the group slid into the other side of the booth, playing with her vibrant red hair, looking the tiniest bit unnerved by her scarred companion.

"Shall we get down to business?" The raven-haired girl asked.

"C'mon, love, we're at a bar? Can't we liven the mood up a bit before we totally ruin it, a pint of ale is always a welcome reward after training. Those blokes in the meathead squad don't take it easy while training." Said the third new comer.

"Don't call me love." The raven haired girl snapped back. "We aren't here for pleasure either."

The third newcomer, a slender male with unruly blond hair, pouted. "Right you are, but we still have some time to kill, and the King won't know."

The scarred man, spoke up once more. "We're working at the moment, but we do have time to kill because we're still three short, Kana, sometimes it pays to relax."

Kana's eyes flashed turning from a light amber to a darker one, then back again. "Tsk. Whatever."

The red-haired girl frowned slightly. "When will the others be arriving?"

"Who knows?"

The other member who had remained silent thus far sat up, she had aqua hair and eyes to match it, she the tattoo of her clan one her face, a crisscrossing pattern that went from her forehead down, until it disappeared underneath her uniform. If she didn't have that she'd have been a real beauty. "It's best to come at separate times, we all are from different squads, and it'd look suspicious. You know how these dogs are. They'll use any reason to question someone."

"Kasumi is right." Kana replied.

Kasumi grinned, it looked innocent but the look in her eyes was devilish, it was too be expected having served under Yuna for years before she became her own premier. She had followed Yuna after she left, begged the half-demon to take her away from this place.

"Kasumi-san, you look scary." The red head commented.

"Yuu, I'm going to disregard that last comment." Kasumi looked pointedly at the red-head who was currently the youngest premier in Neo-Gotei.

Yuu quieted down. Looking towards the door, waiting for their other companions.

Silence fell across the table, the blond male was fidgeting in his seat.

"Masahiko, stop it." The larger male spoke finally.

"Sorry, Sora." Masahiko mumbled. Then he grinned slyly. "It's just I'm surrounded by such beautiful women.

Sora ducked. Leaving enough room so that Kasumi could reach back and smack the head of the other male.

"Honestly, Masahiko make it original." The aqua haired female said retracting her hand.

"Yuu-Chan! Kasumi-san hit me!" Masahiko whined attempting to snuggle up to the other female shinigami.

"Masahiko, I will punch you if you don't move." Yuu growled.

Masahiko reluctantly slunk back into his own personal space. Minutes passed where the group remained silent. The bar door finally opened, revealing two more males. Both dressed in shinigami attire, the quickly made their way over to the group. One of the males looked almost identical to Tadashi, only his hair was a dark purple color that could be easily mistaken for black, he even had the same piercings. The other was slightly shorter than his companion, he had white hair covering up one of his completely black eyes, and the rest of his hair was spikey however.

"Jiro, Nao, you're late." Sora greeted.

Nao made a face. "Sorry, but the captain had me do something for him."

The other shinigami made a face as well. They knew that feeling well. They didn't like it, but in order to perform their duties to their true allegiance sacrifices had to be made, even if it did hurt their pride.

"Hey, barkeep!" Nao called suddenly. "Bring us your finest sake!"

Masahiko looked abashed. The others merely ignored the white-haired male's request and finally got down to business.

"The king has returned the plan to its original date." Kana started.

"I wonder why he's changing everything now. We're in the final stage of perpetration." Masahiko questioned.

"What he's got planned, it's big. He can't afford to screw up, and we can't either." Kasumi replied.

Jiro finally spoke up. "Hasn't it been a month since we got the brat?"

"Twenty-eight days." Sora replied.

The purple-haired man nodded. "Which means my brother will be joining us soon."

"What? Tadashi will?" Yuu looked annoyed.

"Yeah, the King thought he'd be the best one for the job." Jiro replied.

Kana was looked away. Masahiko spoke up, in a serious voice this time. "But from what I've heard from the ninth's new captain found a way to identify the five that went on the retrieval mission."

"What?" Kasumi almost yelled. "If the shinigami captains find him, we're all sunk!"

Kana stared evenly at the frantic looking girl. "No matter, this is a small glitch in the plan. We should inform the king."

"But who will he send then?" Yuu countered. "Tadashi is the best for the job, apparently."

The group fell silent. "We can disguise him, and it seems like only the captains know of this situation. So he just needs to stay out of the captain's way during his visit here. It'll be brief." Sora attempted to calm them.

Jiro sighed. "My brother is never brief. But how do we inform the King?"

Sora sighed. That was the problem the King could contact them at any time, but they had to go through hell to contact him, not literally.

"We use Iris." Kana replied.

"Iris? Isn't she one of Enyo's weirdoes?" Masahiko said aloud

"She is, and she's only to be used in emergencies." Kana replied.

"I think this constitutes as one." Yuu replied.

The group nodded.

"Whose squad is she on?" Kasumi asked.

"She's in the forth." Sora replied evenly.

Everyone turned to glance at Nao. The white-haired man who had been busily drinking down sake, blinked. "What?"

"You're going to be the one to tell Iris the message we need sent." Sora clarified.

"EH? Why me?" Nao gaped.

"Because it makes the most sense. You and Masahiko don't get along anyway and Masa is in the eleventh squad so its our perfect cover up." Yuu elaborated.

"Do it tonight." Kasumi replied stealing a cup of sake for herself. "Say it was a bar brawl that got out of hand."

"Once in the medical division ask for Iris." Sora said.

"Deliver the message, tell him to send the response to Jiro." Kana replied airily.

Jiro looked serious. "It's an important mission. Without you doing this, we'll fail, and you'll never get your revenge."

Nao looked around the group. Sighing, he downed another cup of sake. "Fine. Masa, let's get this over with."

"Make it look convincing, start arguing now!" Yuu urged quietly.

"The rest of us are going to scatter." Sora stood up motioning for the others to do the same.

"Wait, I'm going to use a trick to make these patrons forget about us five." Kasumi said.

She quickly drew a symbol in the air, spoke a strange word, and there was a bright light.

"Start in five minutes, that's when they'll be able to form memories again." The aqua haired girl nodded.

The five shinigami that weren't going to be part of the "brawl" vanished in a shunpo leaving the two males alone.

"Let's drink until the fight?" Nao suggested.

Masahiko grinned. "Let's."

The two began to down the remainder of the sake and some of that behind the bar. When their five minutes was up they started their performance.

* * *

Outside of the bar a lone figure sat on the fence, her head tilted to the side. A frown gracing her too pale lips. She had seen everything, and felt the low level demon magic being used by one who hadn't' been trained to use it. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, and she looked quiet out of place.

Leaping from the fence, startling a few drunken bystanders and some birds, she began walking away from Soul Society. She had seen what she wanted to see, confirming what she had guessed at. What the mortals were doing did not affect her, and in fact it made her task easier.

She had seen proof that not even as a full-fledged demon, Yuna was able to take on an apprentice, and a loyal follower. The girl was a danger to the plan, but if she was killed in the upcoming skirmish, then her life would be twenty times easier.

She heard rumbling from behind her, and heard as the thin wall was busted through along with the screams of fear and protest. She turned her head to gaze at the commotion, feeling two life forces ghost-above her head. Her pale-lavender eyes swiveled upwards in time to see a male with dark spikey hair and a tattoo on his face, of the number 69. He looked strong. The other was a blond with half of his face covered by his hair. He looked like he was depressed about something.

The female sniffed, memorizing their scents. She would kill them should they come after her and become an annoyance. They were heading towards the bar fight, she shook her head and continued down her path.

Because of the deplorable living standards in this particular district, she and to endure the lustful gazes of men. One tried to accost her. All she had to do to dispose of the nuisance was flick him in the forehead, and he fell to the ground dead, his skin quickly turning blue. She had given him an accelerated version of hypothermia, the shock that his body went through at the sudden twenty degree body temperature shock was enough to do a pitiful soul like him in.

The female continued on her way as if nothing happened. Making her way to the edge of peaceful territory she placed her hand on a tree trunk revealing a gateway into a snowy world. She looked around checking to see if anyone had followed her. When she saw none she walked into the tree. Hearing the shouts, that were faded because of the distance, of anger due to another drunken brawl or something as equally human.

Just before she full vanished into the tree she spared the soaring white towers that marked the base of the Shinigami, one last glance. They knew nothing of what was about to come.

It was the coming of the demons.

* * *

Truth be told, the King of Neo-Gotei was not expecting a call from one of his premiers stationed in Soul Society. Or for the premier to be covered in bandages and bruises. For a brief moment Sachio feared that they had been discovered.

"Sir, I need to report something to you, it's important."

"I assure, if it wasn't I'd personally kill you. What is it Nao?"

The white haired man looked grim. "The ninth division captain knows the identity of the five premiers you sent on the retrieval mission.

"The ninth's captain is dead." Sachio replied evenly.

"There's three new ones." Nao responded.

"What? Why didn't you inform me of this?"

"It happened recently. Last night was the only time we could get away without blowing out cover."

Sachio nodded. He did have good subordinates, they put the mission first and new how to act without needed to be ordered every step of the way. "Who are these new captains?"

"Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihoin, and Isshin Kurosaki." Nao replied. "Also the tenth division's captain has retuned along with six other shinigami, I presume these are the ones that you informed us about?"

"They are. Now back to the original reason you called." Sachio replied curtly.

"Right, as I said, Urahara somehow found out the identity of all five premiers that you sent to the World of the Living. He'll know Tadashi."

"I assume you're talking about stage two?" Sachio questioned.

"Yes, sir." Nao nodded.

"What would you have me do? Tadashi is the only one with the ability to perform this task."

"Disguise him. Only the captains would know, so they couldn't act until they had a council or cornered him alone. Either of which wouldn't be a problem. He'd have more time to carry out his task before the captain's cornered him, or he'd kill one of the captains."

Sachio nodded. "But that would ruin the covert ops for the mission. I'll inform Tadashi and send a message back with the plan."

"Send it to Jiro, sir."

The king nodded and closed the transmission. This was only a tiny little kink in his otherwise flawless plan, he should've accounted for Urahara to pull something like that, but he knew now, and he would be able to counter it.

Now it was just making sure Tadashi wouldn't screw his mission up; as the red-heads fiery nature tended to make him do.

He sent a crow out to retrieve the premier, there was only two days before stage two. Then it was only a matter of efficiency on the Soul Society premiers to set up stage three. Then all hell would break loss.

Sachio saw himself sitting on a throne in Soul Society within another month. Everything was proceeding on schedule.

* * *

**Snickers. Yes I gave you a full chapter on the baddies and you still don't know their plan! Sorry, but stay with me, you'll know soon enough. Plus we got to meet the rest of the premiers. Yes it's also a short chapter, I apologize, but what can I do? But at least you kind of know who my mystery character is?**

** Mer-mer, your character is in it, her name is Yuu. **

** Phantom Claire, I hope I did the overall character correctly. **

**You all probably just want to read the preview. I won't keep you waiting any longer.**

* * *

_Toshiro had been called to the ninth division; in a way. He had mentioned to Urahara in passing earlier that day that he wanted to talk to him about something. He needed to hear a professional opinion on what was happening. The brief feelings that he got, the cryptic words, and the overall worry he was feeling. The young captain was thinking that it was just stress induced. They hadn't had any sort of break in between the Aizen incident and this. _

_He walked into the surprisingly well kept captain's office. It wasn't immaculate, but the white haired captain had seen worse. There were papers littering the floor, desk, tables, walls, and for some reason the ceiling. He really didn't want to know, so he wasn't going to even ask. But it was a mystery._

* * *

**There you go! Now onto the next and all of that. Oh and next chapter? *grins evily* It may have some emotions. Any way! Review below with your thoughts. Later! ~IF**


	22. The Bond Revealed

**Take this chapter of emotions after I give you a mainly bad guy centric chapter. This is the crucial moment for both of our heroes but in a different way. I hope you all enjoy. Oh and as a break from what is the normal authors note… WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL? 100 REVIEWS OH MY GOD, THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING! THANKS EVERYONE WHOS REVIEWS. NOW I CAN DIE A HAPPY AUTHOR! But of course I'll wait until the story is done with XD!**

**Thanks to Kage Kurai, Phantom Claire, KageNekoReborn, and AbsoluteReader1995 for reviewing. **

** KageNekoReborn Types as in characters? Like more Premier types? Well… not to give anything away, but there are still the second in command.**

** AbsoluteReader1995 Maybe 8 or 10? Plus however long the sequel proves to be.**

**I just hope this chapter conveys what I want it too and all of that jazz, I need to work on high emotional points… but I hope this works enough for you all. But like I said, 100 reviews?! Okay so normally I'd give a treat but this chapter should suffice enough? Okay tell me if it isn't and I'll see what I can do. I'll stop rambling and let you get onto reading.  
DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THE PLOT (of this story) AND SOME OF THE OCS**

* * *

Toshiro had been called to the ninth division; in a way. He had mentioned to Urahara in passing earlier that day that he wanted to talk to him about something. He needed to hear a professional opinion on what was happening. The brief feelings that he got, the cryptic words, and the overall worry he was feeling. The young captain was thinking that it was just stress induced. They hadn't had any sort of break in between the Aizen incident and this.

He walked into the surprisingly well kept captain's office. It wasn't immaculate, but the white haired captain had seen worse. There were papers littering the floor, desk, tables, walls, and for some reason the ceiling. He really didn't want to know, so he wasn't going to even ask. But it was a mystery.

The new captain poked his head out from a large manual that he had been reading on the couch. "Ah, Captain Hitsugaya."

Toshiro nodded in greeting.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" The fair haired man jump right into it.

The young captain inhaled and went to sit in one of the chairs across from the couch. Twiddling his thumbs, not nervously, but more for something to do in the rather uncomfortable silence.

It was a good five minutes before Toshiro had organized his thoughts and was able to present them in a manner that didn't make him completely insane. It was another thirty minutes of explaining, back tracking, clarifying, explaining things in a different way, and uncomfortable silences in which the young captain had to figure out how to explain something he didn't know how to explain. Then it was another seven minutes of silence as the ninth's captain absorbed everything and thought about a reply.

Urahara finally cleared his throat. Causing the white haired captain's head to shoot up. "Well, what you've described to me, oh you're not crazy by the way, but what you've said… while note unheard of it's extremely rare."

"What is it?" Toshiro asked praying that it wasn't something that would cause him inability to lead the squad to save Ichigo.

"It's what happens when the soul has found its soul mate." Urahara explained calmly.

Toshiro blinked. "Found its soul mate?"

"You know in the mortals vocabulary the one you're meant to be with for the rest of your life, deriving from the Greek legend that humans were born with two faces and eight limbs that were later split apart due to the gods fearing that they would become too powerful, the two parts spent their lives searching for their other part to be reunited."

Toshiro blinked once again. "So you're saying this is because I've found my soul mate?"

Urahara nodded. "From what you've told me, in this life you've found the other embodiment of your soul mate."

"Other embodiment?"

"It sounds like your bond with your soul mate is incredibly strong; meaning it's probably got age."

"How do you know?"

"The bonds are at the strongest when its formed for the first time, and then it gradually weakens through the first life cycles and then grows in strength until it matches what it was when it was first created. I also happen to know, due to your very chatty vice-captain whose friends with mine that you haven't found anyone you're the least bit attracted to."

Toshiro decided not to comment on that last part, he had always figured that he was one of those people who didn't need love to function. "Different lives? You mean the soul mate and I have been connected through different live?"

"That's exactly what I'm say."

"So what does this have to do with the current crisis?"

Urahara smirked. "I thought you were a genius? But the bonds been activated in this life because your soul knows its partner is in danger, eventually your partner and you would've gotten together and understood the bond, or not even known about it. But because your other half is in danger it activated itself so you knew the exact condition of your partner."

Toshiro blinked yet again taking a minute to absorb everything. Not that he was behind the curve on this or it was too over his head to understand. Urahara couldn't help but smirk as the young captain started putting things together in his head. Finally the young captain spoke.

"This means that Ichigo is my soul mate?" Toshiro spoke slowly.

Urahara shrugged. "Certainly sounds like it."

Toshiro was motionless, now that he had spoken it out loud he knew that it was the truth. He knew the limitations of bonds. When he and Ichigo had combined their reiatsu that one time, it shouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did. They certainly shouldn't have been able to see each other's memories or anything. Instead of feeling uncertainty, fear, anger, or anything else that should've been his reaction. Toshiro felt strangely giddy.

"Do you know how bonds are made? Humans aren't reiatsu sensitive, in general, so could they really make bonds or mate their souls or whatever goes on?"

Urahara paused. Thinking about the answer, which he didn't know. "I can only assume that the souls themselves do it while their hosts are unaware of what went on. The souls never change only the physical bodies do, even then there's one thing that doesn't change."

Toshiro thought about it, Urahara clearly wasn't going to give any more than that. Thinking back he tried to remember if there was anything about Ichigo that reminded him of someone else. The first time he saw the carrot top was less than favorable, but he could remember being drawn into the taller teen's eyes. The eyes! Humans considered them the window to the soul, so it made sense that it would be actually true.

Urahara saw that Toshiro had figured it out on his own. "Back to work for me. This dimensional traveler isn't going to build and calibrate itself."

Toshiro took the advice and left the office. His mind was starting to absorb everything that he had been told and uncovered for himself. He still felt rather giddy, but as he started to remember the full situation his giddiness vanished into fear. Ichigo was in severe danger. Something that hadn't changed took on a completely different meaning. That was the first reason that he was afraid, the other was that he wasn't sure how to approach the substitute shinigami about this new development. Going on what Urahara said soul mates couldn't reject their other part, but it was a question on whether or not Ichigo would be able to understand it. The carrot top was the type to act and not think until later.

Of course he'd worry about confessing once he was sure Ichigo was safe and not in any danger. Also that the other teen would survive any injures that were given to him while he was in captivity.

Toshio gritted his teeth in anger. Someone had hurt the person he cared about most.

It was odd to think once you learned that you lo- were meant to be with someone your perception of the world changed drastically. Even learning all of this the white haired captain still wasn't sure he'd be able to admit that he loved another person. He was sure Ichigo wouldn't enter a relationship with anyone until he was certain that he loved them and was loved by them in return.

_Dammit, this just got more complicated! _Toshiro growled mentally.

The white haired captain was distracted as he walked back to his own barracks, hoping to avoid his over talkative vice-captain because he knew the moment he told the strawberry blonde about what he discovered half of soul society would know by noon. Not that gay couples were frowned upon, they were accepted just as well as any other couple and it didn't matter who it was, only captain and subordinate were frowned at in any sort of romantic relationship. He just wanted to keep this private for a little longer until he knew how everything was going to play out.

That still didn't stop him from wondering about the limits of the bond. He'd ask the dragon spirit once he was back in his room. He wasn't technically finished with his mission therefore there was no need for him to head to the office every day.

He did however stop when he saw a male that he hadn't seen before walk past him the hallways. He was probably a heart throb to all of the ladies. But that isn't what caught Toshiro's attention, it was the way he walked. Almost with no respect and almost forgetting to bow when he saw the tenth's captain. It wasn't required for shinigami of other squads to bow outside of the barracks, but he knew this was a tenth division member, it was just a thing with captains that they knew by sight how was in their squad.

The male finally did spot him and did bow while the young captain was walking past. But he could feel a heated gaze on the back of his neck. He'd have to investigate the purple haired male at a later date. He knew the face now. He'd go through the logs once he had his main curiosity sated.

* * *

Ichigo was awoken by something. He was only sleeping because it was the only thing he could do to relieve some of the pain coursing through his body. At first he wasn't sure what had awoken him. But as he became more and more aware of his surroundings the more he could tell what had woken him up. The first thing he noticed was that the cave was no longer a biting cold, not that he could get frostbite, but more of a gentle winter cold. The second thing that he noticed was that the snow had slowed down, but the snowflakes were bigger making the already white distance whiter. The third thing was the humming sound that had been lurking in the back ground was no longer grating and annoying it almost seemed like it was relaxed now. That something had pleased it. What he didn't know but he was happy that it was less annoying.

He didn't know what was happening in the outside world, but it seemed to calm this mental world and make it, happy? It was a relief but he wasn't sure what had happened. Had he been rescued? Was he being treated by the medical shinigami in the fourth squad? Questions whirled in his head and hope rose in his chest. He was unaware of the outside world, and he vaguely wondered if he'd even be able to return.

He knew that sometimes people retreated far enough in their minds that it was impossible for them to wake up, or if they did they lost something about themselves. He wasn't sure if it was even possible for him to return to the world without there being some sort of physiological or physical damage that would be impossible to repair or fix.

As grim as it seems, Ichigo was a realist. He knew when something wasn't going to work or he knew if something bad was going to happen there wouldn't be a way to change it. He didn't need fanciful notions floating around his head when he knew that the hill was too steep to climb. That might've led to his downfall. Anymore he wasn't sure what was going to be expected of him when and if he returned to the world.

Sure Soul Society was going to grill him for whatever information that he knew about the Neo-Gotei providing they still didn't know much. He knew his friends would try to support him the best they could, he knew he was probably going to be in a similar state like the one he had when he lost his mother. Knowing these things didn't mean that they weren't going to happen. He didn't know what damage had been done to the world while he was gone.

He didn't know the fate of anyone who had tried to save him. He was pitiful, he was a battle hardened warrior, he should know by now about what was would probably happen if he underestimated his opponent he saw what a grave mistake that was.

Yuna was hard to not underestimate, she looked like a young kid. But she was fierce and she was strong. Her reiatsu rivaled his own. He wasn't sure what Daichi could do. He knew Enyo's power fairly well by now but he didn't know how to beat it, considering it was a mental ability and she looked fairly skilled with the whip. Tadashi's zanpakuto if used in the correct manner could be devastating or just a nuisance. The king didn't look like the type to get his own hands dirty and would probably stay behind, but his power was different. Ichigo knew that the body take over wasn't its true power, he had felts as much when it pierced his chest. Anyone else was a good guess.

Ichigo sighed even evaluating his opponents wasn't' getting him any closer to understanding these guys or getting him out of this snow covered world. He was sure he was no longer going to be fond of snow after this. More like disgusted, he had seen enough to last him a lifetime.

After dwelling more on these foes, he didn't have any form of strategy in his mind, not that he was skilled in strategy. But he also wondered if he would be able to fight after all his body had been through. So many questions and no way to answer them until he got out of this dammed snowstorm prison.

The humming sounded like it agreed. The carrot top decided that he'd need to figure out what that was sometime. He looked out at the whitened world, the snowflakes seemed to be dancing. Entwining with each other, spinning, whirling, much like a ballroom dance.

Staring out of the snowflakes made him drowsy. He shut his eyes, feeling a tugging sensation in his gut. He didn't even resist when it felt like he was thrown into a different place.

* * *

_It was hot, compared to the endless snow, this was like a volcano. But it was more like the typical Japanese summers he was used to. He couldn't make out any land marks, the buildings looked like those that were drawn of the feudal Japan era. _

_He blinked, he was in some little village, the farms were starting to tend to tiny buds and wives were at home preparing food and raising children. There was simplicity to it all, something he found relaxing. _

_As if he was in someone else's body he began walking. He didn't know where he was going but he body did. He was walking down by the river's shores. He looked into the water that seemed familiar and different at the same time. His refection looked back at him. Only it wasn't him, not really. He just made himself more confused. _

_In the water a handsome man, around his mid-twenties. He had tanned skin, natural from working out in the field, it was probably permanently tanned. He had messy brown hair that was ruffled in all of the right places but wasn't too overbearing. The face had an easy smile to it, but it looked like he was expecting sometime. He wore simple clothes marking him as a farmer, and seemed to have a thing about walking barefooted. _

_Ichigo could see that sandals were discarded some feet away. Though what really perked the carrot top's interest is the eyes. They were similar to his own, if not identical. They had a lightness, be underneath he could see an emotional hardship. The eyes looked friendly but he could see the coldness they held as well. _

_Similar but different. _

_Up ahead he could see a shorter statured figure, the man eyes lit up with excitement and nearly bolted to the figure. He slowed his approach as he got closer however, Ichigo was now a separate entity from the male. He walked up behind them, clearly he wasn't really there so he didn't expect to be noticed. _

_The figure had turned out to be a ninja. Not the anime, or costume, or fake type, but an actual living strikes from shadows wears all black protectors of the land type. Ichigo had seen the uniforms from many school trips to the city museum. Only this wasn't a mannequin, and the mask was discarded in the dirt. _

_It was a male, no surprise him being a ninja and all. But what surprised Ichigo the most was the teal eyes and jet black hair messed from being inside of the mask. He was short, standing just a head underneath the other male. Those eyes were familiar somehow, he couldn't tell where from. _

"_Ren." The teal eyed man said in a way of greeting. _

_The brunette smiled at the acknowledgement. "Yuki, you're back early."_

_The shorter male looked away, a light pink dusting his cheeks. "It was a simple mission."_

_Ren nodded. "I believe you." _

_Yuki continued to look away and the light atmosphere of friendship suddenly changed into a different one. Something Ichigo couldn't place. _

_Yuki spoke up. "I hurried to get back." _

_Ren nodded, he knew that all along apparently. "Why's that?"_

_Yuki blushed harder, the pale skin lighting up in a brilliant shade of red. "Because I don't like being away from you."_

_Ren blushed at this statement as well. Apparently that's not what he expected. Ren remained silent. "Yuki…"_

_That's all Yuki needed to set him off. Ichigo was surprised someone could get that much volume while talking at a normal level. Almost as if they didn't want anyone overhearing them. _

"_I know it's wrong, and I know that if anyone around here found out you'd be in danger and I couldn't live with knowing that you were in danger because of me! This should've never been allowed to happen. It's my fault for dragging you into this." Yuki looked like he was in hysterics. _

"_Yuki, listen to me. If I didn't want this I would've have gone through with it. This _is _worth the risk. I can with stand a lot more than you give me credit for. It's only wrong to other people." Ren replied. _

"_But…" Yuki said his bottom lip quivering. _

"_No buts. This is right for us. I love you, and I know you love me. I know we're meant to be together despite all of the challenges thrown our way. I love you with everything I am, I am yours body and soul." Ren smiled gently, warmly, full of love. _

"_And I'm yours body and soul." Yuki replied, feeling slightly better. _

_The two shared a passionate kiss, even Ichigo who was standing a good five feet away saw the passion. Ren and Yuki were completely oblivious to what was going on in the world around them. _

_Ichigo blinked and all of the sudden he saw the two males tumble down the hill still embraced in a heated lip lock. Ren had landed on top of Yuki. Not that the smaller male was complaining, much, whimpers and sweet nothings broke the peaceful air around the two. The love that they both shared. _

_The happy scene faded away and was replaced with a different one. The houses and farms that Ichigo had first seen were burned to the ground. The air filled with thick smoke and the smell of burning. The peaceful town had turned into a battlefield. The villagers, those that were unable to make it out of the village lay scattered across the ground. Most were dead, a few were letting out pained moans._

* * *

_Ichigo walked around the now wrecked village. Looking for any signs of the two males he saw before. He saw something dart across the ruins. He knew it was most likely Yuki. Knowing that he should be following the teal eyed man he started to job in the direction that he saw the ninja go. _

_What he saw would remain imprinted in his mind forever. Even though it had nothing to do with him. He had decided these were actual people. It matched the history of his home town, there had been a large battle, between who he could not remember, but the town had been destroyed. _

_He had entered what used to be the main part of the town. There a man in high quality armor, and a helmet, was fighting someone who was dressed like a foot soldier, but they were evenly matched. He knew the man that was dressed in the low grade armor was Ren. He was fighting as wells as the captain or general. Not breaking a sweat, but there was a clumsiness to it stating that he wasn't as experienced at the other swords man. _

_Blades glinted in the moon light and sparks flew when they connected. He could hear muttering a few feet from me and saw that it was Yuki. He looked positively frightened. Ichigo could tell he wanted to take his eyes off of the battle in front of him but couldn't. The urge to comfort him welled up inside of his chest. _

_Then Ichigo heard the one thing no warrior ever wanted to hear. The sound of a breaking sword. He knew whose it was before he even turned his gaze back to the battle. Ren's sword was made by an inferior blacksmith to the one the military man was using, so it snapped a lot easier than it would if the bade had been used against one made by a similar level blacksmith. _

_The military leader seemed not to care that his opponent was technically unarmed and rushed towards Ren. The farm boy raised the part of his sword that was still attached to the hilt. Ichigo knew what he was doing and the gasp beside him told him Yuki had come to the same conclusion. _

"_REN! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Yuki cried desperately. _

_It only caused Ren to look back at his lover. Ichigo gasped at the emotions that were displayed in the male's eyes that looked too similar to his. He smiled, just as the sword went right through the exact center of his chest. But still able to move his arms Ren stabbed the shortened blade into the military leader's exposed throat. _

_Yuki sobbed beside Ichigo, and then once he was sure he was alone Yuki bolted towards the now prone form of his lover. Ichigo followed behind, feeling slightly intrusive, but also curious, as if he wanted to see it from a different angle that he had originally. Which was absurd considering he didn't know anything about Ren and Yuki. _

_Ren was close to death. Yuki shoved the military man's corpse off of his lover. _

"_Ren stay with me." Yuki cried, cradling Ren's head in his lap. _

"_Yuki…" Ren rasped out. _

_Ichigo stood their curiously. He seemed to know the words before Yuki even said them. _

"_Ren you can't die! I can't live without you!" Tears fell freely down the teal eyed man's cheeks. _

"_Yuki, you have to." Ren coughed. "For me. Live for me, don't do anything stupid." _

_Ichigo's heart was clenching painfully, and the humming that had been his constant companion was starting up, the band that he had seen was also starting to take some sort of shape next to him. _

"_Ren how am I supposed to? I love you, I can't go on without you." Yuki said, his sobs now wracking his frame, it never really struck how small Yuki was, but now Ichigo could see it, now that he was curled up over his beloved's head. _

"_I'll never be apart from you. I'm with you, I'll always be with you." Ren smiled, it would've been charming if not for the blood coating his teeth. _

_The ribbon grew bright and formed into a male. He was dressed in shinigami attire, he had brown hair and gray eyes. Ichigo knew what was going to happen next, or so he thought. _

_Ren and Yuki's final words to each other were but on mute, but still in motion. _

_The man tilted his head. "You must have a lot of questions. I'll be waiting for you." _

_With that he was absorbed in the ribbon once more and the sound was back in the land scape in front of him. Ren was fading fast. _

"_Yuki. I love you." He said quietly. "I'll find you in the next life, I swear."_

_Yuki smile gracefully. "I'll find you in all of our lives."_

* * *

Ichigo's eyes opened abruptly. Just as he had said the gray eyed shinigami was standing in front of him. Looking at him curiously.

"Before you start rattling off your questions. Let me introduce myself. I am glow. I do not exist but for this reason only."

"Glow?" Ichigo rasped because his voice was raw from disuse.

"Since I do not technically exist and will never form again, does it matter about what my name is?" Glow asked.

Ichigo frowned. "I guess not. So what are you doing?"

"I am explaining something that's been bugging you for a while. What this place is and what everything around it means."

"Okay…"

"This is the joined world. A world created from two shinigamis' inner worlds mixing. This is a place that can only be reached by the two shinigami."

Ichigo nodded. "So what's that mean for me?"

"The bond you share with your soul mate activated; in order to save you." Glow answered.

"Soul mate?"

"Yes the one you're destined to be with for the rest of your life, and all of your other lives."

"Okay, so it activated?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yes normally they do not activate until the souls surface, which changes in every rebirth, acknowledge their feelings for their other half. That's why you've never thought anyone was attractive enough to ask out. Because this bond you have with your soul mate is so strong, it overrides any other feelings for anyone else."

"What's this bond thing got to do with those two guys?" Ichigo said recalling how in love those two had been, vaguely wondering what it'd be like to be in love with someone that much. Being able to convey words just by looking at each other.

"That was your soul mate and yours first forms." Glow answered patiently.

"So I was once that Ren person?" Ichigo asked bewildered.

"Yes, noticed the eyes did you?" Glow spoke smiling. "The bond was formed the day Ren died. Yuki live for another thirty years after that before dying. Once he died you and his souls were reborn into different bodies. You are one of the few couples that find each other each time you were reborn. Though you were never always a male. It's the soul that matters, not the physical form."

Ichigo tried ignoring the fact that at one point he had been a girl, and probably more than once. "So this bond activated because…?"

"It sensed you were in danger." Glow replied. "This bond is unique in a lot of different ways. The main two are, that the two souls physical bodies won't die until the souls are reunited. The second being is strength and age, they go hand in hand. But it's strong for its age."

"Right. So I won't die until the souls are reunited?"

"On the contrary, your soul mate has already realize it, and since you know this person the souls have been reunited because the bond activated."

"So I can die." It wasn't a question.

"Correct."

"So I'm guessing you won't tell me who my soul mate is?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

"I've given you your hint, it's in the memory. Not a dream since you live it." Glow shrugged. "My time is done."

With that the male vanished a bright flash leaving Ichigo alone. His throat was tired because of all the speaking he had done, and after not speaking for who knows how long it was expected. He was even more lost than he was. He looked out to the snowstorm once again; pondering Glow's mystifying words.

He couldn't help but remember the emotions he felt when he looked at Yuki, he could kind of feel Ren's emotions as well. The smallish frame, unruly hair, the seemingly perpetual frown, and the teal eyes. Ichigo thought about it, wondering who the hell that could be. There were a lot of changes between him and Ren, though he was sure in inherited some traits of his first form. But looking at them from a distance you wouldn't be able to tell that they were the same person. The eyes were the ones that gave it away.

Ichigo sighed. He might never figure this out until he sees those eyes again.

* * *

**Well, there's some of what you all have been waiting for somewhat… Ack this chapter was **_**soo **_**hard to write. I wasn't sure if I got the personality of Toshiro right, I'm not sure how a normal person would react to something like this much less Toshiro. I hope I didn't cause too many tears with Ren and Yuki. So I hope this chapter hit a lot of crucial emotional points and is the stepping stone to what is to come later. Well as a half climatic chapter, I do hope this is what you wanted with finding out about the bond, and a little insight into the bond, and this will come into play later! Here's the beginning of 22.**

* * *

_29 days since Ichigo went missing _

_It wasn't more than three hours after Toshiro had originally talked with Urahara when he got the message saying that he should gather his team and report to the twelfth division barracks. It took him all of thirty minutes to find his team. Most of them hadn't left their barracks. Making sure that they were in their best condition to take on whatever awaited them inside of that palace. _

_Arriving in the lab of the twelfth, most of the members feeling distinctly ill at ease about being in the lab. Urahara looked unaffected by it all. It had taken him a day to get everything up and working and to make sure that there was very little chance of anything going wrong while the shinigami were in the portal._

* * *

**I've talked enough. Now to finish 22, and do some damage control with my own feels on Ren and Yuki. I'm off. Later! ~IF**


	23. Infiltration

**Aaand Here we are with chapter 23! Opps, a day late, I'm honestly not going to freak about this but please be paitent as the summer is now over I don't have as much time now to write. I apologize and will get the chapters out as soon as I finish them. This story is getting to its end, but thankfully it still has some life in it to kick some ass! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint and I'm giving you a lot of plot points here! Yahoo! Let's get it started in here, after a few more messages! Thanks to AbsoluteReader1995, Kage Kurai, Dahalia'sdream, Phantom Claire, and KageNekoReborn for reviewing!**

**Now to the disclaimer and chapter **

**DISCLAIMER I ONLY OWN THE PLOT NOT BLEACH AND ONLY SOME OF THE OCs!**

* * *

_29 days since Ichigo went missing _

It wasn't more than three hours after Toshiro had originally talked with Urahara when he got the message saying that he should gather his team and report to the twelfth division barracks. It took him all of thirty minutes to find his team. Most of them hadn't left their barracks. Making sure that they were in their best condition to take on whatever awaited them inside of that palace.

Arriving in the lab of the twelfth, most of the members feeling distinctly ill at ease about being in the lab. Urahara looked unaffected by it all. It had taken him a day to get everything up and working and to make sure that there was very little chance of anything going wrong while the shinigami were in the portal.

"This isn't like a garganta or like the Dangai. Its unstable and there will most likely be pitfalls. Try your hardest not to fall into them. I don't know what's going to be awaiting you on the other side. You also all be split up apparently, as this route keeps fluctuating. So in other words, good luck!"

Rukia blinked. "So we'll be alone in unknown territory known as the enemy base, with no way to contact each other because radios don't work in Hueco Mundo?"

"Admittedly it's not the best situation. But seeing as we don't know what these people are capable of, it seems we've entered a race against time in finding Ichigo." Urahara replied.

"But we may be able to gather information regarding the Neo-Gotei while there, which may give us an advantage." Ashido spoke up. He had discarded his furs in in exchange for a new uniform, as he was now reinstated as a member of the Gotei 13.

The group nodded in agreement. "And I might get to get that blue haired bitch back!" Ikkaku declared loudly.

Yumichika rolled his eyes but nodded all the same, anyone who betrays the eleventh division was unbeautiful and needed to be put down.

"I'm also going to suggest that we be as stealthy as possible and try not to get into any altercations that would alert the premiers that we've infiltrated their base. Also I have a feeling that they wouldn't keep Ichigo with his zanpakuto so look for that as well." Toshiro ordered, looking pointedly at those most likely to get into fights, Renji, Yumichika, and Ikkaku. He didn't know about Ashido but he looked like he had a good head on his shoulders.

Since three hours ago; Toshiro's determination had increased tenfold. He was going to find Ichigo and the moment that he could he'd inform Ichigo on everything and see what happens there. The way Urahara was talking made it sound like the bonds were unbreakable. Hyorinmaru made a strange sound and the young captain decided that he wasn't going to ask the dragon what was going on. The Ice dragon would explain himself in time.

"Let's get this started." Urahara spoke losing all prior enthusiasm, Toshiro figured that it was just to put the seven shinigami to ease when they went through this, whatever it was for the first time.

The other six nodded. Urahara went over to a massive console. Kurotshuchi was noticed for the first time. His hands rubbing together and his eyes glinting in the manner that said he didn't care about what happened to the shinigami, he just wanted the results to study. Renji visibly shuddered. Urahara started to flip switches and press buttons with the help of the mad scientist.

"Hey where do we meet up if we get separated?" Rukia piped up suddenly.

The others looked at her, surprised that they hadn't thought about this. That's' when Urahara stepped in to save the day yet again.

"This." He handed Toshiro a flip phone looking device.

"What is it?" The white haired captain asked eying the piece of technology in his hand.

"It's a one-time use, you hit the call button and all of you will be transported back here along with whatever you're holding.

"So it's a get out of jail button?" Rangiku asked trying to understand something that wasn't her area of expertise.

"More or less. Its keyed to your reiatsu signatures, but since your reiatsu transfers to whatever your touching that's why you can bring whatever you're holding."

The group nodded. It seemed like a good thing to have handy especially if they needed to make a quick escape. Urahara headed back over to the console to get the device ready and Toshiro put the phone one of his inner pockets.

Five minutes later and two pillars in the large lab started to crackle with energy. Bolts of what looked to be red lightning flashed between the two pillars. Slowly a reddish-purple rectangle was starting to for at the base of the pillars. The shinigami watched with interest. The lighting stopped when the rectangle hit seven feet tall.

"This is the doorway." Urahara motioned at the rectangle.

The seven shinigami that would be going through that looked at each other and then at the new captain, seeing if he was kidding. The door didn't look that inviting and it screamed of what terrible things it had hidden. But Urahara was looking just as grim.

"We can't keep it open for that long. Hurry and get to the other side." Urahara half ordered.

Toshiro nodded and walked towards the foreboding door. Wondering what was hidden behind it, knowing that this was the best way they had to get Ichigo back and possibly gaining information. Rangiku was right behind him, followed by Renji, Rukia, and Ashido. The two eleventh squad members shared on last look at the captain of the twelfth looking for any deceit, having inherited their captain's distrust of the man; then they walked through as well.

The inside of the door way was nothing they had ever seen before. It was almost what they picture hell to be like, those who hadn't been there before, and to those who had been there wondered if this wasn't one of the lower parts that they hadn't been to when they went.

They walked on a reiatsu path, one that had been there for a while judging by the decay it was going through. It was red in color. Below them looked like a black sea, but with one fierce eruption a pillar of the black sea had risen up giving the shinigami a clear view of the "water". It was in truth hundreds of millions, possibly more, of charred and blacked bones. They clattered together and made a noise most terrible. It was like the chattering of teeth except it wasn't only the skulls making the movement.

The bones could also animate themselves as when one of the skulls fell onto the bridge it attempted to bite Rangiku's ankles who screamed and kicked it. The seven of them sped up their pace doing the best they could to not look at the bone sea.

Out to the sides red rock spanned as far as the eye could see, sometimes it's touched the ceiling and other times it vanished into the sea, other times there were small cliffs in the middle of the sea, big enough to hold one person but no more. Occasionally on those rock cays a humanoid figure would be standing one it. They were never tall enough to allow the shinigami to see the figures faces but they knew that the humanoids weren't entirely all human, if judging by the ones that grew wings and flew off.

At one point they had to jump over a large gap, Ikkaku was barely hit by a large bone geyser when he leapt over the gap. A stream of curses left his mouth the moment that he landed and the bones had gone back to their resting place.

"This place is nuts." Renji stated watching as another winged humanoid took off.

That was before large winged creatures dropped down from the ceiling spiraling towards the group. The shinigami could make out bat like bodies, covered in a fire red leather skin that was lighter on its wings, they also had sharp fangs. As they drew closer, Renji noticed that instead off two wings they had four, which increased their speed. The two bat beasts pulled up at the last moment and flew off towards the ceiling once again.

"We should hurry." Toshiro said dryly not liking how random the bats acted. He also wanted to get out of the heat, the air was stagnant with the lack of air, unlike most caves which where cool and moist, this was hot and dry, the shinigami's breathing was becoming heavier and heavier by the minute.

_There has to be something toxic in this air. _Toshiro thought.

Increasing their speed they hurried to get to the other side. They had been making little progress as this cave or dimension was larger than it actually appeared to be. Toshiro was sure that they had been here an hour at the very least and they were only nearing the first quarter of the bridges length. The cliffs which they thought were attached to the wall turned out to be relatively free standing, attached to the bottom of the bone sea, which depths were unknown.

There seemed to be an endless amount of the cliffs, traveling this bridge was a more daunting task that he had originally thought.

It must've been another hour or two before they arrived at the halfway point. The gap between the two cliff walls was larger than the rest, and as far away as the naked eye could see there was a dark mass of red, turning to the other side, their faces were hit with a cold breeze, they could barely make out the white light glowing from the caverns.

Muttering an incantation under her breath Rukia extended the distance to which she could see clearly. One the red mass side there was what looked to be a… well she wasn't sure what to compare it to. It was huge, putting it mildly. She couldn't fathom anything its size. It looked to have a hard hide, the color of it was hard to place it was like a dark orange but not quite there was more black than orange, its legs ended up like a goats, cloven hooves and all. Its face was human, its eyes were shut, but she could imagine that they didn't look human. It had huge horns that went to the side of its head and the curled around to point foreword. It didn't look friendly.

The other one wasn't much better. It was white with a blue hue to it. It looked similar to the first one. Motionless, huge, and evil feeling.

"I have a bad feeling about those things." Rukia said after she returned her eyesight to its normal range.

"I agree, let's move on." Toshiro said. Those two shadows, he'd have Rukia tell him what they were later, gave him a real bad feeling.

No one complained and they continued their grueling walk. The rest of the journey was basically the same. Minus the giant shadows. Humanoids still flew off and had a few more bats swoop down at them.

Eventually they reached the end of the path. Which was more decayed at this end than at the other for some reason. Solid ground was a welcomed feeling after hours on that long bridge. A doorway lay ahead of them shining with a gray light.

"That must be the place." Ashido spoke.

Toshiro nodded. "Remember we could most likely be separated. So be on guard the moment you go through."

"Yes, sir!" was spoken from six different voices.

Toshiro was the first one to go through. Again he was followed by Rangiku, then Renji. Ikkaku and Yumichika, Ashido and finally Rukia who was looking back at the path which they just came from.

* * *

When the seven of them reemerged, they were all alone.

* * *

Toshiro found himself in a room that looked and smelled like a cell. He had to crinkle his nose at the foul odor. Looking around he found chains dangling from the wall. They hadn't been used in a while, judging by how dry the blood was on the wall and the cuffs. The looked down at the floor and saw blood, bile, vomit, and an assortment of other bodily fluids that he could, and didn't want to, put a name to.

_Whoever had been kept in this cell was here for a while and tortured in the same room. _Toshiro's military trained mind supplied.

There was a steel door, it was the only exit, and it was left ajar for some unknown reason. He guessed it was because this room was no longer in use. He pulled the rather heavy door open a little more so that he could squeeze through, wincing at the grating sound and dodging the sparks that the door sliding across the floor made.

Surprised to find that there weren't any guards or any other doors in the area he was at. He took on last look at the room, wondering who went through what there. He felt sorry for the person. Turning back around, he went up the slight incline, finding that there was a trail of blood. With no other clues, he decided to follow it. If it was someone that the Neo-Gotei didn't like, Toshiro knew that he could be a benefit to Soul Society.

* * *

Rangiku found herself in this odd little room, it looked like it was a broom cupboard. Looking around she saw that it was more of a weapon storage area. In the low light she saw that in the furthest corner away from the door was a crescent moon shaped blade wrapped in a cloth. There was no mistake that it was a zanpakuto, and whose it was. She walked over to it grunting with the effort it took to pick it up.

The blade was heavier than it would be when held in the hands of its wielder, but she would need to take it now in case she didn't remember how to get back to this area. For a shinigami losing their zanpakuto was a fate worse than death. She slung the beads around chest and let the blade hang on her back. She almost tilted backwards and tripped herself when walking. She quickly adjusted herself.

She moved towards the door carefully and then opened it a sliver. She found that outside was a long hallway with pictures of shadows and other odd markings she couldn't make out. Seeing that there was nobody else within eye sight. She slid out of the closet and leapt up to one of the beams running across the ceiling. She decided that she would head further down the hallway. She wasn't sure if she was going towards something of importance or away from someplace. Her jumps were still slightly awkward.

* * *

The third member of the party to go through the doorway, Renji, found himself stepping out onto a support beam in a room with only one source of light. The large wall window, the sun must've been manipulated somehow to shine through that window no matter what.

Looking down he saw thirteen markers littering the floor in a circular shape with a throne as one of them. He could make out crude drawings on each of the plates. Sensing that no one was near him at the moment he decided to take a closer look at the squares. Taking careful note of all of them. One looked like it was new compared to the other ones. Renji knew his captain would scold him severely if he missed something crucial. This looked like an important room.

After looking at the squares he walked over to a different corner of the room, he saw a pillar that had a pillow resting on it, empty. He took a step further but jumped back when he heard the sliding on metal on something hard. No enemies had appeared and he found himself looking around for the source of that noise. On the ground a foot or so in front of him he spotted and ornate looking dagger.

_I must've kicked that._ Renji thought as he knelt down to pick the dagger up. The ground around where the dagger must've been laying before he disturbed it had a brown color staining the floor, as if the owner of this room could care less about the blood. Reaching over to the dagger, he was careful to grasp it around the hilt, the red-head looked at the blade. It was covered in rust, it was odd considering that it was more of a decoration piece than anything.

He sniffed it. The blade smelled like blood and something else.

"Poison." He murmured. Sticking the blade into his belt, taking care not to nick himself, he continued his search around the room.

* * *

Ikkaku found himself in a heap in an apparently abandoned corridor. He checked everyplace that he could think of where an enemy could hide. Just in case he drew Hozukimaru. Walking carefully, for once, to avoid any traps. He knew how powerful his foes could be, and he didn't want to be injured when he faced that annoying kid from before. He wanted to go all out.

His warrior trained mind was ripping through the details presented to him. Every sound, scent, sight, and touch. He vaguely registered that the walls were covered in portraits of demonic looking beasts, even some of the bats that the team had encountered on that bridge. There was also scorch marks along the wall as if someone whose hand was on fire drug it carelessly across the wall paper.

* * *

Yumichika ended up landing behind a statue with no arms. He recognized it as a foreign art style. The hallway that he found himself was decorated in artwork and statues from a different place. Almost all of the artworks were of partially or fully nude beings. Something Yumichika enjoyed. It was all very beautiful, he'd have to look up on this art form to see who could've made such beautiful pieces.

* * *

Ashido found himself in an oddly decorated room. On one wall there was a one way mirror, which he could see a fully open door and someone's retreating shadow. It was completely dark and he could see a single chair that was left in the room. He could see an assortment of random tools that looked like they could be used for torture. Some of them even had blood on them.

Ashido figured that the room he was looking at was some sort of torture room. He could sense that evil powers ruled in this place. Not wanting to stay any longer, and there was nothing that he could possibly learn here, he headed out of the room and down a random way in the hallway that was just outside the door.

* * *

Rukia found herself in a small room or cell. There was a metallic table next to her. It had a dried blood stain on it, and bandages littered the floor. Along with sandals and socks associated with the shinigami uniform. She continued the investigation of the room. Something chirped and it caught her attention. Heading towards the sound she saw that it whatever it was had been underneath a random crate.

Kicking the crate off to the side, hoping that the sound wouldn't' alert anyone. She gasped at what she found. It was blinking, and the sound was familiar. She reached down to grab the device. Something pulled at her heart when she was fully able to accept what she was holding in her hand.

She pulled it close to her chest, silencing the chirping and sobbed slightly. What she had just found had confirmed her worst fears.

Ichigo's life was in danger, more so than they thought.

She tied the substitute shinigami badge to her waist and pulled on the slightly ajar door, wincing at the scraping sound. No one was around that she could see or sense. She hurried off down a random hallway. Her resolve for finding Ichigo strengthened now that she had proof that he had been brought here. That this wasn't the wrong lead they were following. Mainly she just wanted to get away from the large amount of blood, whose it was she didn't need to guess. She knew.

* * *

_30 days since Ichigo went missing. _

Tadashi, who didn't look like himself, was standing in front of the door. Today was the day he would be fulfilling his mission granted to him by the king himself. He looked at the doorway in front of him. Like most of the premiers who have traveled through this door way before he wasn't fond of it.

The King stood next to him. Waiting for the former red-head to depart. The King had forced the Scotsman to change his appearance. Tadashi had winced originally, not wanting to be berated for his slip up about letting his identity be found but instead he settled with doing as he was told.

His hair was flattened instead of being spiked in the front like usual, it was also black. All of his piercings had been removed and he wore brown contacts. Making him as unnoticeable as possible. Which was going to be hard considering he was going to be a six-foot tall fourth division member, who looked like a warrior.

"Remember the plan?" The King asked sternly.

"Yes, get into the fourth division, do a lot of bloodletting, causing the patients to bleed out reducing their forces slightly, then get the hell out. Don't have any contact with the other premiers." Tadashi repeated automatically.

"Remember what you're supposed to tell the other division members?"

"Tell them I got transferred." Came the mechanical reply.

"Go." Sachio growled.

Tadashi practically bolted through the doorway.

Sachio was about to walk out of the room when Yuna burst through the door way. She looked… amused. The King had to wonder what would give the half demon that level of amusement, unless she got a new plaything.

"Yes?" Sachio drawled out.

"The shinigami have infiltrated the castle." Yuna said as she bowed. "They attempted to sneak in by high jacking my gate. I sent them all off to different places in the castle."

"They don't know they know we are watching them?" Sachio arched an eyebrow.

"Nope." Yuna chirped. "My guards are monitoring them, but they can't sense them at all, because they've forgotten we aren't shinigami exclusive."

Sachio chuckled. "This is wonderful!"

Yuna grinned. "At your order I can have my people alerted. Some of the shinigami are in the premier wings. Only because I thought I'd give them a chew toy. I also allowed one in Premier Kage's wing, just to test her out."

Sachio had a manic glint in his eye. "Beat them down. Then bring them to me so that I may show them true power. Let the premiers decide who to fight. Tadashi has begun his travels, Soul Society is going to be severely weakened within the day!"

"Yes, sir." Yuna bowed and sent the crows out. The shinigami would be beaten within the hour.

She bowed once more and took her leave. After all she did have an old friend that she wanted to be reacquainted with.

The palace which was now silent would be soon filled with the sounds of battle and the stench of blood and death. Yuna couldn't think of anything more glorious!

* * *

Enyo who was sitting in front of her mirror adjusting her hair which was curled perfectly and in a side pony tail. She had just placed the silver circlet on her head when she received the hell crow. Curious about this description of her opponent she grabbed her katana and left her room. Heading in the direction the crow had gone.

* * *

Osamu was already walking towards his opponent when his premier gave him the O.K to engage. He smiled to himself, more than ready for a good fight. His premier was counting on him to give the King a good show, and perform he will. The doors he was looking for came into sight.

* * *

The newest Premier was sitting in her office, reading a novel having finished off her work already. The crow landed on her finger and she arched an eyebrow as she heard the message. She closed the book, which hadn't been that interesting but she found that it had important information about rebuilding a government's justice system so she decided that it was worth her attention. Her scythe was leaning against the wall. She grabbed it, and stepped into the shadows, already knowing where she was going.

An entire platoon of foot soldiers from the demon squad were roaring down the hallway, ready to fight to the death for their premier. They knew where they were going and didn't let idiotic notions of heroism get into their heads. They were serious. Daichi happened to be walking down the hallway watching after them. Not caring what happened to low level subordinates he was headed towards his own wing. He hadn't been ordered to do anything so it didn't need his attention.

Unknown to the Premiers there were two other shinigami loyalist that had escaped their radar.

Unknown to the Shinigami loyalist all hell was about to break lose.

* * *

**Oooh! Fighting is about to break out! Can you guess who is going to fight whom? They're finally there. Ichigo's zanpakuto's been found! Next chapter you can imagine what's going to happen? Hmm the first official clash of Shinigami and Premier! I'm excited the war has begun! **

**And I went a little page break happy. Sorry, and unfortunately it won't be the last time I'll have a lot of page breaks, but this will probably be the only time that they're almost every other paragraph. Sorry once again...**

**Now here's the preview. **

_Urahara was panting, he had been fighting some unknown force for the latter part of the hour. He knew that it had taken them a day to get to through the tunnel. He had been up watching the little blips on the screen but the moment the first person stepped through to the other side he had lost control of the doorway. He had been hoping to get them a few rooms away from each other at the most but whatever had high jacked him had been skilled in manipulating the doorway the second person wasn't anywhere close to the other person. He didn't get control back until the last person went through. _

**Excitement is building, and I'm going to write this chapter so we can finally get this epic battle started! Oh and don't blame me if the chapters end up being ungodly in length…. They're battles! Alright I'm off! Later! ~IF **


	24. Round two! Premiers vs Shinigami!

**I'm back with a labor day update. I was laboring over this chapter to get it done? To soon? Anyway I hope you lovelies like this nearly 9,000 word chapter. This was really hard to write being so busy. Right, anything else I'm missing? Oh the disclaimer! And my shout outs!**

**Thanks to AbsoluteReader1995, Dahlia'sdream, Phantom Claire, and Kurai Kage for your reviews and your support!**

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THIS PLOT AND SOME OF THE OC's!**

**See you at the bottom!**

* * *

Urahara was panting, he had been fighting some unknown force for the latter part of the hour. He knew that it had taken them a day to get to through the tunnel. He had been up watching the little blips on the screen but the moment the first person stepped through to the other side he had lost control of the doorway. He had been hoping to get them a few rooms away from each other at the most but whatever had high jacked him had been skilled in manipulating the doorway the second person wasn't anywhere close to the other person. He didn't get control back until the last person went through.

He could only assume that the first and last person were the only people that the manipulator didn't know. He was thankful for that at least. He had only had time to plant a tracker on each of the away team so he could only see if all of them were alive and where they were located.

At least he had that, he hoped that the team would be able to fend for themselves.

* * *

Ikkaku was trying to be as silent as possible, which was a challenge for him. Sneaking around was for the weak, but he also was smart enough to know that he could possibly have twenty or so nut jobs on him at the slightest noise that he made.

Turning a corner, since he wasn't sure where he was supposed to go, he guessed he'd wander around until he met up with someone. Not knowing the design of the castle had severely limited their plans, and they had only one chance to get out of here, mostly alive, and he wasn't anywhere near the captain.

Finishing the turn he stared straight ahead. Yuna was leaning against the wall looking bored. She lifted her head when she heard footsteps. She smiled creepily.

"It's been awhile third seat!" She clapped her hands together.

Ikkaku grinned feral look to it. "I'll say. We have a score that needs to be settled."

Yuna nodded and reached for her blade. "I agree."

* * *

If not for the years of training, Rangiku would've gotten impaled by the large spike that seemingly came out of nowhere. She leapt back one beam and quickly evaluated her surroundings only having to dodge yet another spike. But this time she when she jumped, the spot she just vacated had been taken by a female that looked like she was wrapped in shadows.

Rangiku knew with certainty that this was a premier. Which one she didn't know, they hadn't gotten information on all of the premiers. It was a long shot but she guessed since they called themselves the Neo-Gotei that there was thirteen premiers as well.

The girl in front of her, seemed to be studying the bustier woman. Making Rangiku skin crawl with nervousness. "Who are you?" She called to the slighter woman.

The shadowy woman said nothing for a while, Rangiku figured that she wouldn't get an answer. The tenth division Vice-Captain removed the heavy Zangetsu from her back and leaned it against the wall, she then slowly moved her hand towards her own blade. Again the Premier looked disinterested.

To Rangiku's surprise the other woman spoke. "I am Kurai Kage. Premier of the Justice Cell."

"Rangiku Matsumoto, Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division."

Kurai looked like she wasn't impressed, or if she was the Premier was very good at hiding it.

"Let's begin." The shadowy premier removed the scythe from her back.

"I agree, we shouldn't drag this out." Matsumoto pulled out Haineko and got into her ready stance.

* * *

Renji spun around when he heard the large doors opening. He attempted to dive behind the large throne, not wanting to be seen just yet. But as his luck would have it, the newcomer had sharp eyes.

"So far I'm convinced they let anyone become a Vice-Captain in your order." Renji winced when he heard the superior toned voice. "I mean you have terrible skill in hiding your reiatsu. Not all that bright, and your sneaking skills are deplorable."

Renji growled and shoved himself out from behind the throne.

"But I guess you make up for it in your idiotic courage." Osamu shrugged.

Renji reached for his blade. Osamu just watched him and sighed. "Not coming easy then?"

Renji bared his teeth. Osamu created his bow. Both waiting for the other person to make the first move. Neither was willing to until they had evaluated their opponent and whether or not the need to go all out was there.

* * *

Ashido heard his opponents before he saw them. He drew his blade, getting ready to ambush his foes like they were trying to do to him. He leapt up into the beams, waiting for the large group he assumed, to come stampeding down right into his trap.

A minute later he wasn't disappointed when ten "guards" came to a halt, weapons drawn, right where he had been. They looked around confusedly trying to figure out what had happened to their target.

"Looking for me?" Ashido called half-serious.

That caused the guards to look up, and they looked surprised. Ashido mentally patted himself on the back for that one. He leapt down far enough away that the guards couldn't get in a cheap shot but close enough to let the guards know that he was planning to stand and fight. His blade hung lazily at his side, and one guard thought that it meant that he wasn't skilled, and foolishly rushed the shinigami.

Ashido stepped to the side slicing with his blade, the impatient guard took three steps before falling into a bloody heap. The loyalist shinigami looked at the body and then glanced up at the others who had found him.

They looked a little more hesitant since they had seen their comrade be taken down in one sword strike. Ashido didn't look like he was bothered by this fact. He raised his blade, after flicking off the blood and staining the wall with the crimson liquid.

"Who's next?" He asked in a conversational tone.

* * *

Yumichika was impressed that no one had noticed the entry of seven new figures in random places. He walked down the hallway, not sensing any presences near him. The hallway he was in was tastefully decorated with similar style art as the ones he saw originally. The color schemes even carried over through everything.

When he stopped to gaze at one portrait of a woman with straight black hair that wasn't at all like the common Japanese hair. Her skin was sun-kissed, and it being a full body portrait he could see that she wasn't just a pretty face. There was a smoldering look in her eyes that seemed almost realistic.

"It a long time to find a painter skilled enough to capture my beauty without making it look like I was beautified." Came a voice with a foreign accent to it, but the words were spoken perfectly otherwise.

Not expecting the voice Yumichika whirled around to stare at the new comer. It took him all of three seconds to realize that the gorgeous woman in the painting was standing directly in front of him, looking even more stunning in real life.

"The picture doesn't do you justice." Yumichika shrugged.

"The report Yuna gave doesn't do you justice, then again Yuna is only good for fighting." The female sighed as if she was annoyed.

Yumichika arched an eyebrow. "So you're part of Neo-Gotei?"

"Among other things. I'm a premier, and according to my King's orders I am to eliminate you." The female shrugged eyeing Yumichika up and down.

"But I suppose I could extend a welcoming hand to a beautiful man such as yourself."

Yumichika was flattered by the complement but offended that he would think that he was so cheap to by bough by flattery that he got every day, even if he forced Ikkaku into it.

"I'll pass." Yumichika said. Figuring the next step would escalate to them fighting he reached for his blade.

The female straightened up, Yumichika finding that he was two inches shorter than the female, making her tall for being a woman.

"I had figured as much. Fighting an opponent with such an obvious disadvantage is something Yuna does."

Yumichika leapt back when the female drew her blade. The girl twirled it around the air. "We haven't been properly introduced. I am Enyo Marvos, Premier of the Shadow Cell."

Yumichika nodded, he had figured that this female was going to be someone strong, now it was his turn to test the strength of a Premier.

"Yumichika Ayasegawa, fifth seat of the eleventh squad."

Enyo didn't look impressed. "Only a fifth seat, damn that Yuna."

Yumichika heard that mumble and was insulted. "The eleventh squad is the strongest. Being a seated officer in Captain Zaraki's squad is showing just how strong you are!"

Enyo looked up, her dark eyes displaying no emotion, looking annoyed. "Very well. Let us test the Zaraki's evaluation of your strength."

Yumichika grinned, like all members of his squad he had a passion for fighting, and he wasn't going to hold back just because he was fighting a beautiful woman.

"Let's also make this a challenge of beauty. Whoever dies first is the uglier one in this hallway." Enyo said.

Yumichika nodded, now there was no way he wouldn't take this seriously. He would never lose in a contest of beauty.

* * *

Rukia stuck close to the wall, hoping that she could use it to head back to the room she appeared in, also she hoped that it would be easier for her to go unnoticed. She could hear the muffled sounds of battle and she prayed that they wouldn't get near her.

The badge thumped against her thigh, giving her the motivation to move on. Even if some of the areas she came to weren't exactly friendly. She was also completely loss and she wasn't fond of wandering around without knowing where she was going.

The palace's lay out, from what she had seen wasn't normal by any standards. There were hallways that were dead ends with no rooms and then there was the complete opposite where there was a door every twenty feet or so and then the hallway itself seemed like it was endless.

There were rooms that seemed suspicious and they were only storage closets and naturally there was the reverse of that. It was confusing, and slightly infuriating. There was no way an undercover operation could get in and find the room they needed to be without a map, and Rukia wouldn't doubt it if the layout changed daily.

She looked into another room that looked like it held answers, but instead she had to jump back to avoid getting a broom handle to the face. The raven-haired shinigami huffed in annoyance as she placed the broom back into the closet before setting off. She couldn't find Ichigo's' reiatsu ribbon, which knew could only mean one of a few things, such as he was surrounded by Seki rock, he was exhausted and can't replenish it, he was suppressing it(not that he had that much control but it was still a possibility), or he had been killed.

She didn't like to think the latter was the answer but at the moment everything was a possibility. She realized with horror that Ichigo, being the stubborn man he was, might've escaped. She thought she felt Zangetsu earlier, but then again it had been so fleeting that she had figured she imagined it.

Lost in her own world she hadn't realized that the sounds of battle had been drawing closer, until she had to duck as a body went soaring towards her. Peering down the hallway, she saw the familiar form of Ashido fighting with odds that didn't look that good to her.

Without much thought, she pulled her blade and jumped into the fray, attempting to go back-to-back, which was amusing in itself considering the height difference between the two of them.

* * *

The blood trail hadn't lessened any, or looked like more blood had been spilled. Toshiro wasn't sure which he should be happier about. The amount of blood it would take to make a path that was clear enough to make drag marks had to be a lot of blood. But the fact that it hadn't sped up any was promising but it also wasn't clotting. Even when shinigami were able to withstand a lot more than humans, they could still die of blood loss.

Toshiro was afraid that he'd walk into the room that this trail of blood lead to and he'd find a dead or about to die body. The white haired captain had witnessed a lot of death in his years, but he still got weak knees every time he saw someone's mangled body desperately clinging to life.

He could vaguely hear the sounds of battle. It had been too much to hope for seven powerful shinigami to go unnoticed. Toshiro looked up and observed his surroundings. He was in a hallway, darkened due to the lack of light. He could tell that it was made out of roughly carved stone, the ground itself was lose cement. The young captain had to wonder why this place was here when the palace was lived in. He shuddered as he thought about the person being taken to another torture room.

The walls narrowed, and he could tell that there was only room for one to squeeze through at a time. He also saw the blood smeared on walls. The young captain hoped that the person whose blood this is was unconscious through the transfer.

He paused when there was a particularly large flare of reiatsu that felt familiar, but not the person he wanted it to be.

* * *

Ikkaku was panting. He wiped away the blood that was beginning to trickle down from the cut he received, and grinned viscously. Yuna was leaning against her axe, looking like she was bored. He hadn't even released Hozukimaru yet, but he had pushed the premier to. He had to grin at that.

Yuna on the other hand didn't look at all impressed. "You call that fighting. Come on! Let's get serious, if you don't you'll die."

Ikkaku gripped the hilt of Hozukimaru. He was tempted to go full Bankai on this bitch, but he wasn't sure when one of his comrades would come around the corner and see him. But that didn't mean he couldn't release his blade, he had held back because he wasn't sure that flaring his reiatsu around would  
be good for him keeping himself hidden incase these people don't fight fair. But from what he had seen this premier she wasn't the type that would fight unfairly. Which made since considering she was in the eleventh squad and all warriors want to fight in fair fights most of the time, unless it was to prove their strength, then it was alright to come at someone with five other people.

He touched the hilt of his blade and his sheath together. "Grow, Hozukimaru!"

Yuna waited until the release was complete. The she launched herself at her foe, blade creating a long gash in the hallway wall. It didn't seem to slow her down any, and she was moving quickly. Ikkaku jumped out of the way, knowing that if he blocked that strike Hozukimaru would be shattered. Even if they were enhanced weapons, blocking an axe with a staff still didn't work.

Ikkaku saw that he now had an opening, because when Yuna had swung the axe the force of the swing had made her have to continue with the blade, leaving her shoulder open for a strike. He stopped himself and thrust foreword. He waited to see the blade penetrate the flesh of the shoulder. He was rewarded with seeing blood fly out of the new cut.  
But he felt no resistance when he pulled back. The two warriors leapt away from each other, Ikkaku evaluated the shoulder that he struck. There wasn't a whole where there should be one, instead there was a long cut, dragging from one shoulder to the other.

_She dodged it? _Ikkaku thought in his head, his eyes surprised. The reaction time that was needed was incredible but not to mention able to see it and respond was something that was hard for any non-captain class shinigami. Even the sixth division captain would have trouble dodging an attack like that, if he ever let himself become that open.

Yuna herself looked surprised that she had been injured. "Impressive. It's not often I get a scratch in battle. But was that a lucky shot I wonder?"

Ikkaku, from years of training, knew what was going to happen next. Yuna vanished, Ikkaku saw a glint of metal out of the corner of his eyes and he spun towards it, already beginning to thrust his spear foreword, ready to meet the oncoming threat. He knew he was going to hit. There was no dodging such a high speed attack. He felt like everything was going in slow motion, but he knew that the speed they were at was well beyond what mortal eyes could track.

There was a second where pinpoint-brown eyes met the color of tried blood, both not backing down in their staring contest. Then he heard a sound that he was familiar too, the sound of flesh being sliced and penetrated. He could see the specks of blood soaring through the air, and there was some emerging from the back of his opponent.

Suddenly everything became real time as he flew backward, his spear following him, not having time to make sure it remained in the torso of his opponent. He crashed through a wall, and made a crater in another.

Somehow, Yuna was still up right, but there was crimson cascading through a vertical hole where her spleen was located, and he knew since the staff of the spear had blood on it, he had pierced all the way through her back, so he had hit several organs he knew. So how was she still standing?  
Yuna laughed and then cough blood up. "Maybe it wasn't luck."

She returned her axe to its dormant form, and walked away like normal. Once she was out of the view of the soon to be dead Ikkaku. She stumbled, grabbing a hold of the wall. Knowing that her knees were likely to soon give out if she didn't hurry towards the medical area. Not that they were the best healers, but she couldn't just rely on her own healing ability when she knew at the very least there was three organs bleeding.

Ikkaku was panting against the wall. He could look at his torso and see that the wound that Yuna left was deep and long. He'd die of blood loss if he didn't get any medical treatment.

He couldn't stand even if he wanted to. Hozukimaru returned to its sealed form. He shakily reached out, and grabbed his blade. Popping open the bottom, seeing the full container of medical coagulant. He put some on his finger, wincing when he touched his wound. It wouldn't be a hundred percent, but hopefully they'd be out of here by the time he needed a second dose. The gash was narrower, but it cut deep and he knew that it had nicked most of his internal organs. He might be able to stop the surface bleeding but internally he couldn't do a thing. It'd be a miracle if he stayed conscious long enough to finish applying the coagulant.

* * *

Renji dodged another super-charged arrow blast from the sword. Osamu hadn't moved from his spot since he walked it. Renji whipped Zabimaru towards him. The former Quincy raised the blade and blocked the strike, giving Renji a sense of déjà vu. It was almost identical to the first time that the met on the battle field.

Renji leapt down from the ceiling beam, landing in front of Osamu. The man was starting to irritate him.  
"Where are you keeping Ichigo?" Renji growled out.

"Hmmm? You really came all this way for that brat?" Osamu chuckled. "How adorable. You're devotion will be noted when we rewrite the history of the Gotei-13 the way it's supposed to be!"  
Renji grit his teeth. "You won't win."

"Won't we?" Osamu's eyes widened. "Premier!"

Renji took the advantage of Osamu's distraction and surged ahead. He swung the whip like blade towards the second in command. The blade was arcing around Osamu and Renji tugged Zabimaru back making the spiked edges plunge into the flesh of the Quincy. Knowing that it was a guaranteed kill.

Osamu's eyes widened as he collapsed onto the ground. Renji stormed over to the Quincy, watching as a crimson puddle started to form around the male's knees.

Renji bent down, where he was eye level with Osamu. The dark eyes stared at him, little light left in them.

"Listen, you're going to tell me what I want to know." Renji commanded.

Osamu panted before replying with much effort. "Rot in hell. I don't know where that idiot is located. The king couldn't use him, so they forgot about him."

Renji slammed the other onto the ground. Anger filling his vision. How could they forget that they have a captive? Renji left the soon to be deceased Quincy behind. There was nothing left to discover in this room. He'd have to find Ichigo without any help.

Osamu stared out, looking at the place where his Premier generally stood. He had failed her. She had been severely injured, and he didn't have a lot of time left in this world. He was surprised that his shinigami opponent would've been fast enough to use his momentary distraction to his advantage.

He wasn't able to finish his revenge, but he knew that he had delayed the shinigami for a little longer. All the tops and seconds knew where the prisoner was located, it just took an ability to see the small details, and not be a complete idiot like most of the shinigami grunts were.

Renji walked out of what he was considering the main room. The first thing he saw was the three hallway branching out from the room. Each identical, and he wasn't able to sense any of his teammates. But he did know they were fighting as he heard the sounds of battle raging through the palace.

Picking the hallway to the right, he headed down it. Not sheathing his sword, knowing that in the palace he could be ambushed easily, and he'd rather have some sort of fighting chance other than just having to die because he forgot one an important part of common sense. _When in enemy territory make sure you can defend yourself at all times. _It was a lecture at the academy that he had to sit through.

He wasn't about to die before he gave these bastards a taste of the _true _shinigami power.

* * *

Yumichika dodged to the side when the whip came close to his face again. Enyo wasn't a combat expert by any means. The fifth seat could tell this because of her used muscles, but they weren't harden like a warriors. She had excellent reaction time, but couldn't fight close range, but she was nimble.

Yumichika had found out that she was able to dodge most of his attacks by flipping, ducking, and arching to one side or another. She made it look graceful. The beautiful man could appreciate someone who thought of battles the same way as him.

But he couldn't stand that someone like this had such a cold heart. She had cheered when she felt one of her comrade's reiatsu dip. She was even more joyous when another's disappeared altogether. Yumichika couldn't let someone like her taint the word of beauty. She only had looks.

Yumichika was seriously debating on whether or not he should use the true form of his zanpakuto.

"You withhold something beautiful. I can see it." Enyo mumbled in that accented voice.

"A good guess but no." Yumichika countered.

"Hn? Don't believe me? Most people don't at first. But how do I know that your pride as an eleventh division member, such an ugly squad by the way, is bigger than the pride of such a glorious weapon." Enyo said, her eyes smoldering.

Yumichika's jaw dropped in shock. "How could you possibly know that?"

"My power, it lets me see the mind of whomever it strikes. It works better on the weak minded. That orange haired kid, he was perfect for me to play with." Enyo chuckled.

Yumichika gripped the hilt tighter.

"What? You care for the boy?" Enyo laughed bitterly. "You're nearly two weeks too late. He can't be saved."

"Lies." Yumichika stated plainly. "Anyone who can win against Captain is someone who won't be taken down by a group of ruffians like you!"

"Ruffians? Most of yes. Me? No." Enyo cracked her whip, and it turned from a golden color to a black, and went from solid to a gaseous form.

Much like a fog rolling in, the black gas, which was more gray in the proper lighting, crept towards Yumichika. The feathered man leapt up towards the ceiling. The fog followed after him, streaking after him like a rocket, and it slowly billowed out from the main source.

Soon most of the hallway was coated in the thick gas. Yumichika had nowhere to run. Enyo leapt up on the beam across from him.

The space around her suspiciously clear. He kept his gaze locked onto Enyo in case she had been just toying around with him earlier, and she really could fight. But the whip was gone, and Yumichika couldn't see any sign of her sword.

He hadn't realized that the fog started to curl around him.

"There's an advantage to joining the Shadow Society, you know." Enyo's eyes flashed.

Emerging from the fog was solid black masses, they were human shaped but they had no features.

"I know who you were, and I can reduce you to nothing more than a janitor." Enyo waved her hands the fog forming the visions she just described.

"Where light is cast, there is always shadows." Enyo twirled her hand, making the sliver bracelet fall down her arm.

"I'm surprised that Premier Kage never joined, she'd be perfect."

"But there is no one more valuable than someone who knows all about the enemy from just a…" The Grecian woman suddenly vanished and appeared next to Yumichika. "Touch."

A tanned hand shot out and wrapped around Yumichika's pale neck. His eyes widened.

Enyo stared at him, the dark eyes looking frightful instead of exotic. He knew then that this was not a woman to be taken lightly, he felt the fog reach his arm and bat away his zanpakuto. He watched as it fell to the ground. He was going to hear about that later. Providing that he lived through the next thirty seconds.

Enyo's lips curled into an ugly smile, which she still somehow managed to make it look appealing.

"You're life… hmm. Not as glamorous as you look." Enyo pursed her lips. "Those with the ugliest lives tend to be the most beautiful."

Yumichika stopped his struggling, aware of how lightheaded he was becoming. There was truth in her words, but he wondered if she meant on the outside or the inside. He would've made a comment had he been able to speak.

"Never mind that. This has become too tedious for me." She released her hand, and Yumichika coughed before inhaling gulps of air, trying to steady his breathing. He had managed to calm his chest heaving slightly when the gaseous cloud wrapped around his neck and solidified. He noticed the more solid it became the harder time he had with breathing. Enyo's grasp was nothing compared to this.

The Grecian woman had jumped down from the beams. Landing and walking away like nothing happened. She waved behind her and kept on walking. The smoke flung Yumichika down by his neck. He landed hard enough to break bones. Whatever air he had left in him was forced from his body. He was powerless to do anything, the smoke still tightening around his neck. He could see his now sealed zanpakuto laying a few feet away.

He wondered if he stretched if he would be able to reach it. The smoke didn't seem to have that much intelligence, it was only following Enyo's will. So it probably wouldn't notice if he started to squirm a little. He stretched his hand out as far as it could go, the burning in his lungs growing more and more intense with each passing second. He didn't have much time.

He was about five inches too short to grab the hilt of his blade.

_Come on. _He tried. Summoning his reiatsu reaching out to the blade. Hoping that he'd manage to somehow move the blade. It was almost a physical impossibility. He knew that most of the time a disarmed shinigami was a dead shinigami.

The minute that black seemed to encroach on his vision, something akin to a miracle happened. His blade flew into his hand. Not having enough time to wonder how it happened. He gripped the hilt with a tight fist.

He rasped out. "Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!"

The katana glowed and split into four different blades. He would've used his zanpakuto's true form if he was sure that it would work against this smoke cloud. But as fair as he knew the cloud didn't have any reiatsu. He was also unclear about where Enyo had went. He couldn't sense her, but he couldn't sense her beforehand either.

He also wondered if she was waiting for him to release his zanpakuto, if she had the power that she said that he did.

He swung the blade at the "arm" of the smoke, cause it to dissipate long enough for him to shunpo out of its range. It came racing towards him. Because he was out of ways to fight something that couldn't he started to use his zanpakuto as a fan. Waving it wildly, it would've been amusing to watch, but the smoke was being scattered faster than it could reform. Soon his arms would get tired, he knew, and then he'd be at the mercy of the smoke.

Not a very heroic way to go.

But once again it seemed like faith was on his side, as something came crashing through the wall behind him. He dodged out of the way, and it seemed like the other figures that had crashed through the wall, had the same idea.

"Flaying wind!" A male voice yelled out.

A wind storm was summoned, and the fierceness of the wind was impressive. Yumichika could feel it from where he was standing. But it also served to give him a respite to catch his breath. Once he was able to somewhat regulate his breathing he saw that the wind attack was also affecting the smoke. It was being blown around so fast that it was truly unable to reform and it kept getting ripped apart until there was nothing left of it.

That's when he heard the growl next to him. It was Enyo, looking livid.

"You idiot! You made me lose my kill!" She yelled at the man, who had now come into sight.

"S-s-s-s-sorry Premier Enyo!" He bowed hastily.

Enyo said nothing as her katana returned into the golden whip. She raised it and cracked at the newcomer. It slit his jugular.

"Foul smelling idiots. Even with a normal nose I do not understand how Yuna-idiot can stand you."

Enyo glared at Yumichika before vanishing in a puff of smoke like she hadn't even been present. Two figures shunpoed next to him, and he registered them as Rukia and Ashido. All of that happened before the body fell to the ground.

"She killed her own subordinate?" Yumichika asked bewildered.

Rukia shook her head. "No, I don't think that was the case. I think he was from Yuna's cell."

"So you can kill another's subordinate?" Ashido clarified.  
"I don't know." Rukia shrugged. She knew how it worked in the Gotei-13 but she had no idea about what these people were capable of.

"I think Enyo doesn't like Yuna." Yumichika shrugged.

"That might be the case." Ashido shrugged, he hadn't met any of the premiers here and all he had was what the others had found out when the encountered them.

"Either way… let's continue our search, for Ichigo and the others." Rukia said. She had cuts and bruises lining her body from the large group of followers that she had helped Ashido deal with. The older male wasn't in much better shape and she could see Yumichika had a cut on his face and a purple bruise forming around his neck. The others nodded.

* * *

Rangiku and her opponent, while having said that they'd get the battle started hadn't made a single move towards each other. Rangiku was starting to get impatient and her opponent wasn't giving anything away. It didn't help that she could only see one eye.

Her training had told her to always wait until her opponent had made their move. The strawberry blonde knew next to nothing about the foe, and therefore had no idea what to expect when they began to fight.

Long range seemed to be her best bet at the moment.

She got into the release stance. "Growl, Haineko!"

The blade turned into ash and Rangiku thrust it foreword. The cloud of ash followed her command and surrounded Kurai. She launched the ash, hoping that it would be enough to do in the premier, and knowing that it wouldn't hardly leave a scratch on her.

As she pulled back the ash cloud she saw that the premier had jumped over it, and was hanging from something on the ceiling. Rangiku's eyes widened. _How…? She wasn't even in a battle stance!_

The premier landed soundlessly on the beam. Looking slightly more alive as there was a small passion burning in the red eye. Rangiku didn't know what to expect.

The premier raised the scythe, she spun it around, almost unhindered by the shape of the scythe. She moved at an impressive speed, spinning it with both hands like a bow staff.

"Show them the darkness, Daku aimai!" There was no doubt that it was a release phrase.

The spinning stopped abruptly, and Rangiku could see that the scythe was no longer a scythe. But instead a set of claw like weapons. The previously bare hands were now clothed in black gloves.

_That's where the claws are attached! _Rangiku realized.

Just as she realized that, she heard something come from beside her, she leapt backwards, getting nicked in the arm from the claws. She landed and the ash remained around her. Kurai stood where she had been previously, studying her claws. She flicked the bloodied one off to the side, splattering the small amount of blood onto the beam.

Rangiku leapt towards her and made some of the ash become her blade again. Having the rest of the ash scatter so thin that you couldn't see it with the naked eye.

Kurai easily blocked the strike. Rangiku had the ash swell up behind the premier. She caused it to come forward and she pushed off of the premier, getting a surprise kick in. The ash made a sphere around the premier and Rangiku closed it fast.

She summoned it back to her, and she saw that another sphere had been summoned inside of her ash sphere. The black sphere dissipated, leaving an almost inky residue in its wake.

The Premier however seemed unharmed. Rangiku struggled to keep her composure. It was impossible for the premier to walk away from the attack with no damage. Unless that inky sphere was shield. Rangiku cringed inwardly. This fight just got a whole lot tougher.

Kurai lunged again, into the shadows. Rangiku summoned back most of her ash into blade form and parried the strike.

The blades suddenly grew longer and Kurai pulled away. Leaving four deep scratches in the Vice-Captain's cheek. The two leapt apart.

Rangiku whipped at the blood pouring down her cheek, wincing at the sting. So it had been deeper than she thought, one of the claws must've hit her cheek bone, she figured, if the pain was anything to go by.

Without giving anything away she caused her ash, what wasn't making up her blade, attack her foe. Rangiku forced the ash into a spinning attack, where the tip of it would certainly penetrate flesh when it made contact, not to mention all of the follow up attacks that would happen afterwards.

The attack in theory would be deadly. But Rangiku wasn't expecting a black cero to cut through her ash torpedo.

The Vice-Captain barely got out of the way. Though her uniform got torn. She was forced to pull back to another beam. Kurai lowered both of her hands.

She looked at Rangiku and vanished. The shinigami had adapted to her opponent's speed and readied herself. When she saw the other emerge from the shadows for a split second Rangiku lowered the ash cloud. Hoping that she'd at least do some damage this time.

Kurai was able to dodge most of the attack, but Rangiku had reacted fast enough that it left a shallow scratch in the premier's arm.

Rangiku waited for the next attack. Knowing that the Premier would have to come in close range again.

Rangiku lost her balance when she dodged a large inky spike. She stumbled back in slow motion. She saw now that there were two spikes, one coming from the side, that she manage to dodge, and the other one came from the floor right where she was standing it had impaled her shoulder. The spikes didn't look solid, they looked inky and wispy, but they were solid, she could feel where they hit.

She looked down to see if there was anything that could slow her descent any so she didn't get the full impact and be left with wide opening. But instead of the ground she saw another inky spike coming towards her. She knew it was going to be fatal, and there was no way to dodge the attack.

Not knowing what else to do, she gasped. Feeling the spike as impaled her straight through the chest, near enough to her heart for it to be fatal. It had nicked an artery or vein because she could feel the amount of blood leaving her body. She could actually her the spike penetrate her, her the crushing of bone as it went through either a rib or vertebrate. She smelled the thick coppery smell of blood and taste it as well. Rangiku could also see the giant inky spike burst through her chest. Which was an eerie sight and see the blood splatters.

She knew the spike widened at the base and she was sliding down it.

Finally both the spike and most of the feeling in her body disappeared. Though in her fading vision she saw Kurai standing over her. Nothing was betrayed in the premier's face, but Rangiku could feel the victorious aura surrounding the mysterious premier.

"One justiceless dog down." It was barely whispered but Rangiku heard the words loud and clear.

The premier vanished in the same instant, almost like the shadows wrapped themselves around her.

Rangiku was left alone. Staring up at the darkening ceiling. She looked to the ground next to her and saw the crimson spreading out from her. She moved her gaze from the puddle of crimson to her zanpakuto.

She could here Haineko's whines and protests as well as pleas and begging. She saw a hairline crack began to form. As she goes to gasp, blood bubbles past her lips, she attempts to spit it out but it didn't go how she planned, so instead it was no running down her face.

Her reflection stared back at her tiredly, showing the trail of her lifeblood as it vacated her mouth and dripped onto the floor, and what was coming from the gashes in her cheek. One even went across her eye towards the bridge of her nose, and they were spaced about a knuckle's width apart from there.

Her reflection shimmered and revealed Haineko, the cat like woman was throwing insults at her age, about anything really, trying to keep her wielder alive long enough for help to arrive.

Rangiku flashed her blade a tired smile.

"Huh? What was that sound?" Renji asked no one in particular. There must've been a battle going on in the hallway next to him. He felt a sudden increase in an unfamiliar reiatsu, and then the drop of Vice-Captain Matsumoto's. Without thinking, Renji swung his blade and tore through the walls, which were sturdy but thin.

He walked into an oddly lit hallway. It was lit so that everything that could possibly have a shadow did. But the stench of copper and ash reached his nose. He hurried towards it, the scent growing stronger with each step.

The vice-captain gasped when he saw the state of the other vice-captain. Rangiku splayed out on the floor, her eyes fighting to stay open. Her hair was laying at all sorts of angles and her skin was pale with blood loss. She looked like an angel; with four large gashes in her face and blood around her mouth. So a vampiric angel.

Renji knelt down, oblivious to the blood that would be staining his knees. "Matsumoto!"

The good thing was that she was responsive, the bad thing… she took at least a minute for her to respond.

"Ren…ji?" Rangiku rasped out.

"Yeah, it's me. What happened?" Renji asked as he applied pressure to the hole in Rangiku's chest.

"Stabbed by a spike. Fought a premier." Rangiku mumbled out.

Renji gaped at her. Was there someone that strong that could actually get through Rangiku's defenses and actually kill her? He knew she had gotten _half _of her _side _removed during the fight with the Espada. How was a single blow to the chest going to kill her?

In his frantic mind Renji almost didn't hear what Rangiku said next.

"Ichigo's zanpakuto should be on that beam."

Renji looked up to the three beams that she could be talking about. Not wanting to really leaving the Vice-Captain alone, and wanting to make sure that when they found Ichigo he'd have his zanpakuto. No matter how they found him.

Renji decided that he wouldn't be gone long enough for something serious to happen. Renji shunpoed up towards the beams that were indicated. On the first one all he found was blood, on the second one he found a lot of ash, blood, and possibly ink? The third was the one that held the treasure. Zangetsu was glinting in the low light. Almost as if it was accusing Renji for something. He grabbed the heavy sword and slung it from his back.

He leapt down to join Rangiku. Renji wished that he knew something about healing kido, but he couldn't even perform the most basic of kidos, and he didn't want to risk something bad happening when he used healing kido on someone.

Again torn between hurrying and finding their goal and leaving Rangiku alone, Renji chewed on his bottom lip.

His captain would say something like; _"A successful mission is more important at the moment. Make sure your comrades don't die in vain."_

But Ichigo would say something like; _what is more important than your friend's life? I won't forgive anyone who thinks life is so expendable. I'll support my friends and myself!_

Renji sighed. There were still five other shinigami that would be able to carry out the mission faster than him, and just because he was carrying someone didn't mean that he wouldn't stop searching. But he wasn't sure what happened with Ikkaku, he could feel the weakest amount of the bald shinigami's reiatsu but that was it.

His mind made up; Renji lifted the busty shinigami onto his shoulder. He had to sheathe his blade, and he was already hindered by the large blade on his back. It was awkward, but Renji would struggle through it. He didn't want Captain Hitsugaya on him because he let his Vice-Captain die, and if Ichigo found out that Renji left someone on their death bed alone to find him, no matter what the circumstances were, Ichigo would still be angry with Renji and most likely never be forgiven. Stumbling down the oddly lit hallway, Renji chose his directions at random.

* * *

Ashido, Rukia, and Yumichika were wandering down random hallways. They had no idea where to go, nor did they know what was happening with the others. They felt Ikkaku's and Rangiku's reiatsu disappear, they weren't really sure what to expect, but Yumichika was chewing on his bottom lip, with a slight worry about his friend.

The turned a corner and the smell of sulfur and charred flesh assaulted their nose. Yumichika was the first to notice a giant crater in the wall.

"We should proceed with caution." Ashido recommended.

The others nodded. Rukia and Yumichika carefully navigated the debris towards the wall, while Ashido covered them from behind.

Once they reached the hole, the saw the large creator in the other one, and the blood smear that went all the way down. The next thing that they saw was the shinier than normal bald head, it was only shinier because of the quickly cooling sweat.

Rukia was the first to be able to react, Yumichika was staring in shock at his best friend. A green light was emitting from Rukia's hand.

Yumichika jumped over the debris and knelt on the other side of Ikkaku. "Can you heal him?"  
Rukia shook her head. "His wounds are beyond my level. I can lessen the bleeding, but I can't risk healing them, as there is a high chance I would heal them improperly."

Yumichika sighed. "Is there a chance that he'll…?"

"Die?" Ashido supplied helpfully, or unhelpfully depending on your point of view.

Yumichika nodded.

"Yes." Rukia didn't want to say any more. There was a higher chance that Ikkaku would end up dying before they got back to Soul Society. Only the fourth division captain and vice-captain would be able to heal wounds this serious.

The three shinigami fell silent, it was like that for another ten minutes before Rukia pulled away, her brow drenched in sweat.

She wiped at it. "That's all I can do for now. I at least stopped him from going into shock, but it all really depends on how fast we can find Ichigo and Captain Hitsugaya."

The two men nodded grimly.

Ashido blew air out of his nose. "We all are pretty tired from our fights and injured. I don't think staying in one place for very long is a good idea. We should keep moving."

Rukia nodded in agreement hesitantly. But Yumichika was against the idea. "If we move Ikkaku then he'll most likely die! The healing Kuchiki-san just did will be for no reason!"

Rukia looked at Yumichika silently. "Don't worry so much. I can heal what damage I've already healed. But if we fine Captain Hitsugaya, and then find Ichigo then we'll be able to get him treated by the fourth."  
Yumichika sat back on his heels thinking the words through.

"Fine."

Ashido and Yumichika each put one of Ikkaku's arms around their shoulders and followed after Rukia who was at least acting like she knew where she was going. They knew that she really didn't, but it was better than being uncertain in their opinions. Not like it really mattered if they got lost in the place anyway. They were just looking for one person and hopefully their groups will eventually meet up with other people.

* * *

Toshiro noticed the faintest smell of something foul. To him it smelled like rot, sickness, or a little of both. Either way, he'd follow to where the blood was leading him.

The young captain had noticed that Matsumoto's reiatsu disappeared. He couldn't say he wasn't a little worried about her. His Vice-Captain was strong, but there was no clear cut level of strength among the premiers.

The trail was starting to lessen slightly, and he was worried that he was going to lose the only clue that he had so far, but when he glance up he saw that there was an ominous hallway ahead of him.

Toshiro cringed slightly. He felt bad for whoever this was. He couldn't see any doors and it was nearly pitch black except for two pinpoints of light that had to be nearly a thousand feet away.

The white haired captain ran a hand through his hair. "Man, who the hell designed this castle?"

He trudged off down the hallway. One hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto, the other hand dragging against the wall, hoping that in the low light he'd be able to feel a door, if not he'd walk back doing the same thing.

He hissed when a sharp part of the wall cut his palm.

He was nearing the pinpoints of light when he saw that there were two guards ahead, and only one door. The foul order was originating from that door.

He drew his katana and took out one guard before the other had time to react to someone attacking, Toshiro had the blade pressed against his neck.

"What's behind this door?" Toshiro growled, frightening the guard even more so.

"U-u-uh I'm not sure." The guard spluttered out.

Toshiro pressed the blade deeper into the soft flesh of the guard's neck.

"Some say it's a traitor. There are rumors that it's one of the Gotei dogs!" The guard gasped out.

_Gotei dogs… Ichigo? _Toshiro felt his heart soar at that thought.

"I can go right?" The guard pleaded.

"You'll tell the first authority you see." Toshiro shrugged. "Why should I?"

"Because you won't kill an unarmed man!"

To prove his point the guard dropped all of his weapons. Toshiro grit his teeth, knowing that he couldn't in good conscious. "Fine."

He shoved the guard away who in turn bolted down the thousand foot hallway.

Toshiro turned towards the door. Wondering if it really was a traitor or Ichigo. Steeling his nerves for the worse, and ignoring the foul scent. He pushed open the door.

What he saw will stay with him for the rest of his life.

* * *

***Casually walks away from cliffhanger.***

**Come on did anyone honestly expect me to not have a cliffhanger? Hehe. Dear me, this was a long ass chapter. Good for you, and this was so difficult to write, I honestly was afraid that I wouldn't be able get it updated on time. *Phew* So right, I think I'll just leave you with the preview. And finish my rambling later.**

**Oh and to Kurai, I do hope I did your character justice in the fight?**

* * *

_Renji was carrying Rangiku on his shoulder. He didn't fail to notice that her body temperature was steadily lowering. While his knowledge was limited to what he picked up from the fourth he knew for a fact that a cooling body had a tendency to not mean good things, unless the person was coming down from a fever. Either way Renji knew now that they needed to finish their mission and quick. He wasn't sure how much longer Rangiku could survive without medical attention. Not for the first time today Renji found himself wishing that he had learned some form of medical kido. Renji felt useless, and he was quickly finding that he didn't' appreciate the feeling._

* * *

**Okay there you all are and yes I'm making you wait, and now I'm doing something that I haven't done in quite some time. You all get to choose if Ikkaku or Rangiku or both die or live! And if no one gives me a clear cut opinion, well let's just say I warned you!  
Also due to something that will be happening later, sequel later, I'm once again requesting OC's. For the "Vice-captain" position of the premiers squads twelve spots open!**

**Here's what I want. **

**Name:**

**Zanpakuto power/name:**

**Personality:**

**Backstory:**

**Description:**

**Preferred cell:**

**Other:**

**Now I'm off to go and continue chapter 25 and send me them OCs! I'll be posting this request on my Instagram as well, which reminds me I'm posting most of my fanfiction related things on there! Later! ~IF**


	25. Finally!

**This chapter seems so much shorter than the monster that was last chapter. So here we go, the continuation of the cliffhanger! The moment you've all been waiting for. Maybe. Oh dear lord I updated a week late! Forgive me! After that cliffhanger as well! But like I mentioned last chapter my writing time is being taken up by school, and unfortunately life comes first and school gives me writers block. Also a jumped back into the Fairy Tail fandom as I'm sure some of you noticed by the two stories I posted when I should've been writing this. Forgive me, it was the plot bunnies! So thanks to AbsoluteReader1995, Akira Namikaze, Phantom Claire, animegurl103, Scarlett Foxie, Dahlia'sdream, Kage Kurai, and AngryHitsu for reviewing. **

**Now onto the chapter!  
After we do the disclaimer of course. **

**DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH ONLY THIS PLOT AND SOME OF THE OC's**

* * *

Renji was carrying Rangiku on his shoulder. He didn't fail to notice that her body temperature was steadily lowering. While his knowledge was limited to what he picked up from the fourth he knew for a fact that a cooling body had a tendency to not mean good things, unless the person was coming down from a fever. Either way Renji knew now that they needed to finish their mission and quick. He wasn't sure how much longer Rangiku could survive without medical attention. Not for the first time today Renji found himself wishing that he had learned some form of medical kido. Renji felt useless, and he was quickly finding that he didn't' appreciate the feeling.

He stopped in a wider part of the hallway. Tired from his short battle, and the stress of the recent month causing him to tire quickly, not to mention Rangiku wasn't the lightest person in the world. Renji prayed that the tenth division vice-captain would never hear of what he just thought. Adjusting the busty woman on his shoulders, he took a second to feel her throat for a pulse. Panicking when it took him a long time to find it. When he finally did find it, he found that it was light and fluttery showing just how bad Rangiku was.

Renji sighed as he hauled himself back into a standing position. Then he leaned back down in order to pick up the busty shinigami. Nearly tipping over, because he forgot that Zangetsu was on his back. Renji sighed when he saw his reflection glinting back at him. Reminding him on how much Ichigo had changed his life, and the many times that he saw the blade glint with the intent to kill.

The tattooed man readjusted himself, wishing that a teenager like Ichigo wouldn't have gotten involved with the world of shinigami. At least not while the substitute shinigami was alive anyway, Ichigo was only seventeen and had seen more blood than most people their entire lives, the teen had even been known to kill his opponent if it was the only option.

Renji was a realist, the odds of all seven of them coming out of this villain controlled palace with their target and not getting spotted or sensed was a pipe dream, it was even crazy to think that they'd be sneaky enough to hide when the whole place was on alert. Renji even doubted that they'd find Ichigo in a reasonable amount of time. People dying was a part of a shinigami's job, and based on previous encounters it wouldn't too farfetched that the team might come back with severe injuries and possible casualties. It was one thing knowing that it's a possibility it's another thing entirely when you're holding the limp and bleeding body of your comrade. Something Renji, sadly, was more familiar with than not.

Renji inhaled and then pressed on. He had stayed in one place for too long and that could be a fatal mistake while in enemy territory. Zangetsu glinted once again in the light almost like it got a spark of determination. Which was impossible because if a shinigami is without contact with their Zanpakuto the spirit residing in the blade tended to go into a hibernation-like state and not wake up until it felt the reiatsu of its wielder. Then again nothing about Ichigo had ever been normal.

Renji shrugged and continued foreword down the hallway a little more. He groaned when he saw that he came to yet another fork in the hallway.

"Who the hell designed this place?" Renji cried in exasperation.

* * *

On the other side of the palace Rukia looked up when she felt Renji's reiatsu reach her, it felt angry and slightly worried. Rukia was worried because this was a common feeling she got whenever they were in battle like situations. She glanced back to see Ikkaku's head lolling to the side. The bald man was in a bad way, that hadn't changed since the three shinigami stumbled across the third seat. The petite shinigami was also aware of the tenth's Vice-Captain's drop in spiritual pressure, she could only assume that Renji and Matsumoto were near each other because their reiatsu felt like it was the same distance away. But there could of course be a lot of factors affecting her sensing abilities.

She thumbed the badge hanging on her waist. She had a feeling that they were close to Ichigo, the badge was starting to radiate a little more strength, and while the badge basically was way for Soul Society to keep tabs on Ichigo, it was still keyed into the orange haired shinigami. It would only work as long as it was near Ichigo's reiatsu, so that way it couldn't be stolen and used for who knows what for who knows why.

So the fact that it was starting to feel like something from Soul Society and not just a cheap wooden carving, Rukia took that as a plus. Though, she has to wonder was one small confirmation that they are in a place where Ichigo _was_ being held, did it balance out if they lost several people and the trail went cold. She was a Shinigami first and a friend second. Rukia may have changed when she met Ichigo, and started to value friends and place them at a higher priority than she was, she still knew that the mission came first. Despite the feelings towards it. If it was deemed that the risk was too dangerous and they were ordered to leave then the seven shinigami would have to. They did want to save Ichigo of course but if that proved to be a small goal in the eyes of Soul Society's tops then the shinigami would have to obey.

Naturally that wouldn't stop Rukia from staying behind and paying her debt, well one of them. She didn't like to leave debts unpaid and she owed Ichigo plenty. They all did.

Rukia's eyes softened and she turned around to face foreword taking the hallway to the right. "We'll rest here, but only for a few minutes, afterword we need to keep moving. We don't know when the Neo-Gotei will send more people to attack us."

Yumichika took the majority of Ikkaku's weight and slid down the wall. Rukia watched out of the corner of her eye, Yumichika was caressing and touching Ikkaku tenderly. Most of Soul Society wondered about the two, but she didn't care. She knew that Ikkaku would be more than protective over Yumichika if the more feminine man were to get gravely injured.

Rukia chuckled to herself, earning her a look from Ashido. She wondered if there was anyone that would be like that if she got gravely injured. She then shook her head, this was no time for idle thoughts such as those. She could only look down the hallway, which seemed to emit a feeling of evil, she shivered as she thought of what could possibly be radiating that much evil.

She could only pray that they escape before whatever or whoever was down the hall came for them.

* * *

_Meanwhile_

A man with obviously died black hair stepped out of the shadows. He pulled at his uniform, scowl firmly in place. He headed off towards the fourth division barracks, careful not to draw attention to himself. He was skilled in suppressing his reiatsu. One slip of control on his part and he'd be found out in a second. Especially in the fourth who had superb sensing skills.

He growled. It was nightfall. He hadn't been a part of Soul Society for very long before he and his brother were forced out, so he never did learn the layout. But he couldn't ask or else his cover would be blown. He fingered the hilt of his zanpakuto. If he made it to the barrack, or more specifically the hospital before dawn he could set the plan in motion sooner and the quicker he got this done the sooner he could return and not blow the cover of this operation. Of course he to make sure it was done properly, but it wouldn't be a problem once it was done.

The hospital finally came into view, he smirked. Walking towards the front door he looked as if he owned the place. He was careful to sense for any powerful reiatsus before continuing. Sensing none above a third seat rank.

"Easy." He mumbled to himself. Stepping into the main lobby, he was spared only a few glances. Not even the actual fourth squad members paid him any mind. He nodded and pretended to sign in. Then acting like he had orders he headed towards the patient rooms. Releasing his zanpakuto as he went. He knocked on the first door, when he got no answer he saw why. The patient was deep asleep and apparently heavily medicated.

It made his job simpler. He lifted up a sleeve of the hospital gown and made a small scrape with his blade, blood bubbled up, but Tadashi quickly stopped the flow, but did not close the wound. Then finishing his ministrations, he went on to the next room.

After making small incisions on several of the patients in this one wing he went over to the intensive care side, looking for those who would be the easiest to kill and make it seem like an accident.

He chuckled humorlessly. Just because in the long run the Neo-Gotei was fairer, more honorable, and just, it didn't mean that their tactics to win would be. Killing of the wounded was a way to get rid of the weak, and if they were injured by hollows or other trivial things then they had no place in the Neo-Gotei.

The premiers and the King weren't just working towards a new thirteen protection squad, they were working towards a new world. One that would be cleansed from the taint of the shinigami. It would be better, but in order to make this world happen then sacrifices had to be made. Tadashi didn't mind having to get his hands dirty. Like everyone else in the Neo-Gotei he had his reasons for leaving, and he didn't mind exacting his revenge on those who cannot defend themselves. That's why he's one of the best interrogators in both Soul Society and the Neo-Gotei.

He quickly undid the wrappings on a bandaged stomach and plunged the blade into the bleeding gash. He dug his blade deeper than the cut had done. He had muffled the man's screams, and he traced the cut making no other markings. He then cause the wound to bleed at an impressive rate before sealing his zanpakuto and "preforming" the needed to tasks to help revive the person.

As he figured it wasn't long before more nurses showed up, and Tadashi acted the part of a stunned fourth squad member. "He won't stop bleeding! I have no idea why!"

The nurses seemed to disbelieve him and attempted to cauterize the wounds. Which naturally weren't working. It was a minute more and the bleeding mysteriously kept increasing and soon enough the guy had passed away.

Leaving with the rest of the crowd, Tadashi turned down the hallway and went to finish his mission, if all of them were as pathetic as the one he just killed this would be an easy mission. He laughed to himself, and evil glint in his eyes. Oh how he loved his job.

* * *

Ichigo woke up. Why he was unsure but he just did. More than slightly annoyed due to the fact that he was actually resting for a change. Not in a half-unconscious state where he had passed out because of the pain. He found it interesting that you only rested when you chose to rest for yourself.

Regardless he was up and looking for the reason why he was suddenly returned to awareness. He couldn't sense anything unusual and he could see nothing that was directly threatening him. So he was at a loss as to why he woke up. It was odd considering most of the time when he was asleep he didn't wake up for anything or anyone.

But the mire his brain left the fog of sleep the more he got the feeling that he just _needed_ to be awake.

Was something happening in the physical world that was important? Or was it he'd miss something here if he hadn't woken up. Both were plausible, as far as he knew, but he didn't know which one was the correct one.

His amber eyes flitted out to the snow covered world. As expected, the snowstorm was still raging on outside it was just as fierce if not more fierce than it had been when he went to sleep. But there was no evidence of new snowfall. It was becoming more and more apparent to Ichigo that this world was in fact a stationary world. He had read about them in fiction but to be witnessing one in real life, it was well, different.

This would always in chaos. But to what end? Will this world become dynamic, and move past all of this chaos into peace? Or will it remain in this state of unrest?

Ichigo quirked a small smile. The same could be asked about his life. Was all of this chaos in his life for nothing in the end? All of the battling and nearly dying, was that his life was ever supposed to be? Or was everything he did for something bigger that he couldn't see? The teen honestly did not know, nor could he bring himself to care.

He could only wonder if his friends were still looking for him. He realized that he hadn't thought about them that much, and he found that he missed them more that he would like to admit. He would like to think that they were searching for him but he also didn't want to wake up and find that they had been injured, or worse.

On the other side of that however was that he found that he didn't want to be alone any longer. It was strange because before this he didn't mind being alone, he generally preferred it actually. Ichigo sighed. It wouldn't surprise him if Soul Society had called off the search for him in preparation for the oncoming war. Hell he wouldn't be surprised if he had already been written off as someone that was just going to be a history lesson and eventually just another legend. A bed time story that mothers would tell to sleepy children.

Someone to learn from.

Someone to eventually forget.

Ichigo sighed once again and turned his gaze towards the unchanging chaos that was his temporary home.

Just what exactly was happening in the outside world?

* * *

Toshiro was unwilling taking in everything that he saw, heard, or smelled, and was committing it to memory. Not the best thing to do, but again it really wasn't his choice. Maybe, just maybe, this would help him realize what he saw.

Then again he wasn't entirely sure that this wasn't an illusion.

The white haired captain took a step forward, hesitant and afraid that he'd break any form of illusion over the room. He wanted it to be fake because this wasn't possible, but at the same time he wanted it to be real so that his team wouldn't have to go through any more pain.

Toshiro hardly realize the pungent scent that filled the room and had assaulted his nose when he first opened the doors. It had smelled of infection and death. His tea eyes were glued to the form in front of him. He thought that it could've been someone else, but he knew in his heart that it was the person they had been searching for in the past month.

Ichigo was laying rigid on the table, it was more of a metal slab, and Toshiro could tell that he had been like that for quite some time. The muscles were tense; not unlike when rigor mortis set in. The once lean frame was now skinny to the point where the faintest traces of ribs could be seen. The muscles which had been hard and prominent with training were now soft with lack of use, and in some areas nearly gone. The face which had been handsome with its clear cut features was now hallow and sunken. The cheekbones which had been attractively prominent, where fully prominent. The hair which had been vibrant was lighter but that was due to the color being drained from it. Toshiro tried to ignore the dried blood, dirt, and other mystery fluids matting up the tresses.

If that wasn't bad enough Toshiro took in stock of the injures, giving a pretty clear picture of what had gone on in the time that Ichigo had been taken captive. There were several new scars and scabs adorning most of the teen's body. From the scabbed wounds Toshiro could tell that several of the cuts had been infected before they started to heal. The teen's face was flushed and sweat was sticking to his skin.

The white haired captain had to wonder how the younger male had survived this long without any form of medical care. Spams wracked the body, and Toshiro swore he heard a groan of pain escaped the slightly parted lips. But again that was something impossible, Toshiro wasn't an expert in the medical field like the fourth, but he was a genius and he knew the signs of a coma when he saw one.

The fact that Ichigo hadn't reacted at all to his presence was the first sign the second was the fact that even though he was asleep there was very few signs of any brain activity. The white haired captain knew that at the moment the body lying in front of him was nothing more than a husk that used to hold the spirit of Kurosaki.

Continuing his silent evaluation Toshiro felt his cold façade crumbling, there was a stinging behind his eyes as he looked at every little mark. There were plenty of bruises that he hadn't noticed before in the terrible light. They marked once creamy pale skin and turned it into a story of pain. Toshiro knew that the bruises were telling about broken bones.

Unohana would have her hand full healing the teen, which than again it wasn't that unusual for the teen to be mortally injured, but it would be the first time that he might have to go through so much pain to be able to heal properly. It would be a long few weeks if Unohana brought him out of his coma to heal him.

Toshiro didn't know if he could handle the pain that was sure to be in Ichigo's eyes, he couldn't even stand looking at the wounds on the body.

A shrill sound broke through his thoughts. The alarm had been sounded. The young captain fumbled around for the small device that Urahara had given him before thy left. Not remembering where he stuffed it. He prayed that he still had it and wouldn't have to lug Ichigo around with him. The teen might've lost most of his weight but it was still taller than the captain, so it would just be awkward.

Finally his hand clutched the cool plastic. He didn't remember what the eccentric ninth squad captain had said about working it, but he remembered that whatever he and the team were touching would come with them. Maybe it was because he wanted to be sure that it worked or because he felt like he needed to do something Toshiro wrapped himself around the taller teen, in a very awkward feeling hug, mainly because of the positions of the two shinigami. Toshiro could only pray that no one was touching one of the foes, because that could prove to be deadly.

The white haired captain wasted no more time in his silent debate and pressed down on the button.

There was a blinding white light and Toshiro felt himself being pulled away from Ichigo but he pulled himself closer to the teen, in what would've been a suffocating hug, unwilling to let the younger shinigami go now that he had him back.

Toshiro kept the small doubts out of his head for now, knowing full and well that his personal life wasn't something that was taking priority. He needed to get his team back and announce that they had managed to successfully complete their mission and share any new information that they had gathered.

Well he hoped that his team managed to recover something, but he wasn't sure what had happened to the others after they emerged through the portal.

He hit the ground with outstanding force. Drawing a pained grunt from him, looking around he saw that they reemerged in the garden of the hospital. Fourth squad members were already rushing towards them. Toshiro wondered if there had been some form of emergency as the hospital staff looked weary and a little more than stressed.

For the first time in what was almost six hours Toshiro saw his team. If he hadn't been a captain who was known for his level head he would've gasped. Almost everyone had an injury of some sort. The least severe were a few bruises and scrapes, those injuries were Renji, Rukia, and Ashido. Yumichika was in the middle ground with a large purple bruise forming around his neck and the stiffness in which he moved stated that he had probably pulled and torn a few things. The worst were Matsumoto and Ikkaku. Both of them were unconscious, their breath light and uneven. They were pale and Toshiro could see that they were both suffering blood loss.

His vice-captain was the worse off, she had been without medical attention for who knows how long and was in a terrible condition.

Thankfully the medical team that had been sent out to them were good at prioritizing. They rushed Ikkaku and Matsumoto away on stretchers to begin to get them worked on. Then they came back and got Ichigo. That jarred Toshiro into action, this time instead of sitting on the ground dumbly he followed after the staff, more than a little protective of the younger shinigami.

Toshiro was stopped before he could follow the medical staff into the ICU area which was only to be entered by medical staff and captains with written permission from the Unohana herself.

"Captain Hitsugaya please follow me, so that we can give you and your team a quick check up." An orderly had stepped in front of him.

It was one of the seated officers actually but he couldn't recall which one it was. But he looked just as tired as the rest of them, and there was a little confusion shinning in his eyes, but at what was a mystery.

Toshiro followed behind the boy, motioning for the rest of his team to follow him. They were all placed in the same room. Which was odd considering that there normal plenty of rooms available for use.

Renji seemed to share that thought. "What happened?"

The seated officer looked hesitant in answering, but finally spoke. "We've lost a lot of patients due to excessive blood loss, and there's no sigh as to how it's happening. But since its happening to only single patient rooms I was ordered to place you all in the same room."

Toshiro thought that it was an odd order, but he figured that it came from someone higher up than the young boy. He dismissed the boy with a nod of his head.

"That's weird." Renji mumbled after a few minutes of silence.

Rukia nodded. "I don't know how they can't know."

"Maybe it isn't natural?" Ashido questioned.

"What do you mean by that?" Rukia raised her eyes wearily.

"I mean maybe it's someone tampering with the patients." Ashido shrugged. "Some wannabe big shot traitor. Soul Society is unstable at the moment."

The others nodded it seemed likely. There were always power struggles, and some people were smart enough to see when they might have an opportunity.

Another hour passed before the five shinigami were greeted by the sound of the door opening. Urahara poked his head between the crack.

"You're back." Urahara acknowledged happily.

The group nodded.

"How did the mission go? You all look tired." Urahara leaned against the wall. "And in need of a shower."

The comment didn't get the reaction that he wanted, but he let it slide, not wanted to waste any more time avoiding the heart of the matter.

"So how did the mission go?"

"We got Kurosaki back." Toshiro answered reverting into his cool and collected captain mindset.

The other four looked vaguely surprised. They had been occupied with their own critically injured comrades and everything had been in a rush since they got back, but soon as the information was absorbed relieved smiles busted out on their faces and some even slid down in their chairs as if the relief had left them drained.

"But what about the other two?" Urahara arched an eyebrow as he counted only five in the room.

"They got injured badly in their fights with the premiers. They seemed to know where we were." Renji answered for the group.

Rukia and Toshiro looked up in surprise. "I was fine."

"As was I. I encountered no one until I found where they were holding Ichigo." Toshiro said.

Urahara looked mildly interested in the news, but the reason was unfathomable to the exhausted shinigami.

The hatted man sighed. "You'll be checked on in a little while. Captain Unohana and Vice-Captain Kotetsu are busy at the moment and if the others are gravely injured will be for a while. So since you all are only exhausted I'm sure you'll be released to go home in an hour."

The others shrugged.

"Then you can come in tomorrow and learn about the conditions of your comrades."

With that note Urahara spun on his heel and walked out of the door. He wanted to know what had happened but he would be patient enough to wait until the more important things were taken care of. Things were stressful now with all of the random blood loss deaths and the looming war. Not to mention the fact that Ichigo was back. That was bound to cause more chaos than what Soul Society needed at the moment.

* * *

Unbeknown to the shinigami, the man responsible for all of the deaths was leaning against the trunk of a tree watching as they tied to understand how the deaths happened. A bitter laugh left his throat. The king wasn't going to be happy about losing their bargaining chip, nor was he going to be pleased that all of the shinigami had made it back and had a better chance of survival.

No those who failed the king were going to be in a mess of trouble. Something Tadashi was all too happy to see. He had been sent here to eliminate as many people as he could in the hospital, to cause more of distraction than actual damage but with the twenty plus deaths he caused, it was more than a distraction.

Of course his success was fueled by his hatred to the shinigami loyalists. He snapped his fingers and a doorway lit up in front of him. He'd have to report this to the king. Since they were superior that meant that the premiers that had fought hadn't taken their jobs seriously.

He walked through the doorway.

The main show hadn't even started yet.

Tadashi laughed as a large plume of lava welled next to him. One age was about to end, and another about to be born.

* * *

**Yeah, the ending of this chapter sucked, but I needed to find a place to stop so I can pick up next chapter. So… YAY! Ichi's back! Took them long enough! So how many of you are happy about that? Oh and yeah, the reunion wasn't exactly tear-jerking. It is my firm belief that Toshiro is still a captain among everything else, so naturally finishing the mission is before emotions. I don't know that's just how I see things. **

**So two things. **

**I'm going to try my hardest to actually not do cliffhangers.**

**I have 10 slots still open for Vice-Premiers!**

**Name:**

**Zanpakuto power/name:**

**Personality:**

**Backstory:**

**Description:**

**Preferred cell:**

**Other:**

**Just PM me the character or leave me a review, also if you want to ask me about a premier or cell let me know!**

**So any who… preview?**

* * *

_Like Urahara had said within the hour the five shinigami were released to go home and rest with permission to return in the morning. The five gratefully stood up, and once they reached the gates of the hospital went their individual ways. Each worried about what tomorrow would bring and looking forward to resting._

* * *

**There you all are, and keep it real while I go and finish the next chapter! Later! ~IF**


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